Phylactery
by Shade40
Summary: Six years after the Promised Day, Selim is Homunculus and child. As he studies alchemy, Selim realizes it is possible to resurrect his family. The Homunculi deserve the same second chance that he was given, but while they struggle to embrace their newfound humanity, an unknown player comes with a deal that divides them. Post-FMAB with bits from 2003 series. For Homunculi-lovers.
1. Prologue

**Full Summary:**

Six years after the Promised Day, Selim is both Homunculus and child, remembering the past while trying to live as a human with Ms. Bradley. As he studies alchemy under Edward and Alphonse, Selim realizes that it is possible to resurrect his family, whom he now misses. The Homunculi deserve the same second chance that he was given, but while they all struggle to accept and embrace their newfound humanity, a hitherto unknown player enters the game with a deal that disrupts and divides their lives. Coming from a past they can't even remember, are her intentions really what she claims? Post-FMAB with bits from 2003 series. For Homunculi-lovers.

_Phylactery_: In fantasy, a phylactery refers to an item in which the soul is contained. The owner of the phylactery cannot be killed until the phylactery is destroyed. The choice of this name is two-fold and will hopefully become clear as the story progresses.

_Cover picture_: The Two of Coins from the Alchemical Tarot deck. It comprises an Ouroboros with two heads – a lion and eagle – encircling the sun and moon. The lion represents that which is fixed/stable, the eagle represents that which is volatile/unstable, the sun represents the masculine or soul, and the moon represents the feminine or spirit/mind. The main theme of this card is Change. The choice of this image will also hopefully become clear as the story progresses.

This story will go through three main phases:

1) The opening chapters that establish the setting and feel,

2) An indeterminate number of chapters (probably 40 - 50) that could best be described as serious drabbles which will vary considerably in length,

3) And then the serious plot.

Characters: Pride and Envy are the main characters of this story because they have the most screen time in the main plot. However, all of the Homunculi will get their turn in the spotlight (except for Wrath). There will be no Original Characters. Main characters (such as Ed or Roy) will appear, but they are not the focus and will only appear to serve the plot.

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is the property of Hiromu Arakawa, Square Enix, and Funimation Entertainment. I do not own any rights to the series, and will remove this story from the site without protest if requested to do so.

FMA Versions: Although I have watched FMA and FMAB in both dubbed and subbed versions, I watched the subbed version first, so to me, it is the 'original'. Therefore, if I need to quote something word-for-word, it will be coming from the subbed version, and I will be using subbed spellings for the names of people and places. I also read the manga, but plan to follow Brotherhood wherever details differ. When I reference the 2003 series, I will make explanatory notes at the end of the chapter for those who haven't watched the first series, but you should still be able to follow along without any trouble.

Rating: If you watched FMA and FMAB without issue, nothing in this should offend you. There will be mild language, but nothing more than was in the series. There will be violence, but nothing horrendous. There will be one chapter dealing with sexuality, but it will be more theoretical than graphic.

Reviews: I am most concerned about realism and consistency. I will appreciate any comments, but I especially want to hear whether my character portrayals are realistic. If there is anything said or done that you find hard to believe, that's what I'm most interested in. I am also concerned about being too wordy, so speak up if things are slow.

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Number of words: 12,127

Published date: August 7, 2012

Began chapter: November 22, 2011

Finished chapter: January 24, 2012

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**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Everything was ready. Nothing was missing. Every detail, every step, every action had been calculated, planned, and prepared months in advance. They hadn't forgotten anything.

Even knowing this, even being absolutely certain of it, Selim still went through his mental checklist one more time. In order for it to work, everything had to be perfect.

He looked around the room critically, considering their preparations. It was a large room – a basement, in fact – because if all went according to plan, it would soon become far more crowded. The building, unfortunately, did not have electricity wired to its bottom level (an oversight by the architect, perhaps, or simply an assumption that the room was only for storage and did not need light), and it was thus lit with oil lamps. Their light was steady in the dank, musky air, but they cast shadows that lent the scene a sinister feel. But then, that felt appropriate, given the situation. The humans, too, never tried to perform their taboo in the bright light of day. Perhaps it was a subconscious decision on their part, a shaming desire to hide what they were attempting. It should have been a clue to them: if they were truly certain that their human transmutation would succeed, why did they choose to welcome their departed loved ones in a place of darkness? Surely a place of sunlight and blue sky would better reflect the alchemist's hope of defeating death.

Selim frowned at this thought and sharply forced himself back to his considerations. The timing had been unalterable and the basement was the largest available space. The fact that it was dark and sinister was unfortunate, but they had had no other options.

Despite being intended for storage, the room was mostly empty, the objects disturbed from their accrual of dust and moved elsewhere to provide more room. The ceiling was a touch on the low side, but at Selim's height, it wasn't noticeable. The floor, originally rough gravel, had been alchemically smoothed to perfectly level concrete, and it was the lines and symbols drawn on the floor that attracted Selim's attention.

Simple white chalk. It still seemed incredible that the ability to perform alchemy, to change and shape one thing into something else, could be achieved with the most simple of tools. Ink, paint, chalk – even blood – could be used to realize the alchemist's goal. The chalk marks made lines of intricate circles on the cold floor. Each and every line was necessary, of course. One large circle, taking up the entire breadth of the room. An eight-pointed star, formed by two overlapping squares. Five smaller circles inside the star, arranged as the corners of a pentagon, each containing an octagram. Inside, a tightening ring of circle and pentagon, circle and pentagon. From the points of the final pentagon, lines crossed and intersected, ending in small circles.

Those were only the obvious features of the array. The text along each edge, the double ring on the outer circle, the symbols… It had taken almost a year to develop the formula, and nearly three days to painstakingly reproduce it on the floor. In all honesty, Selim could have drawn the array much faster, but caution had slowed his hand. There had been plenty of time and it wouldn't do to make a mistake.

An experienced eye could recognize the disparate elements in the design: the overlapped squares were a rare choice, usually only seen in transmutations involving living things. The octagram, a weighty symbol that influenced the ephemeral realm of soul and spirit, had once been used in soul-binding. The tight circle and pentagon ring could be used to create an imperfect Philosopher's Stone (with the proper formula and live ingredients), but the inner lines, using alkahestric principles, formed a reverse pentagon to draw energy from the centre. All in all, any alchemist could see that the array was ambitious, most wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of its purpose, and many would predict it to fail from an internal inconsistency.

Selim paused at each feature, mentally rehashing the logic behind them. That line meant _this_. The text around the outer edge meant _that_. The symbols represented different elements and would combine in _such-and-such_ a way.

He couldn't find any errors. This was stupid. They were_ positive_ that the formula would work. They had spent the past two months critically analyzing every little detail. He was just nervous. He was just nervous and double-checking things was only an excuse to distract himself from what would come next. He couldn't allow himself to hesitate now. He couldn't afford to hesitate. People were relying on him. Though they didn't know it yet.

Inside each of the five circles, in the empty space at their centres, were the necessary ingredients. Only with a Philosopher's Stone could an alchemist create something out of nothing, after all. The piles were not identical, but each had been carefully calculated to contain the requisite elements: Water, carbon, ammonia, lime, phosphorus, salt, saltpeter, sulfur, fluorine, iron, and silicon, along with traces of fifteen other elements. As Edward Elric had commented years before, the ingredients were easy to find and could be bought with a child's allowance.

Selim took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. There was no use in mentally re-calculating the elements in each pile; even if something _was_ wrong, there was no time to make any changes. The only other thing left for him to think about was the steps he had to take once the proper time came, but he had gone over those steps for what seemed like a million times already. He had little doubt that he could recite them in his sleep, if need be. Like an athlete hard in training, he had visualized himself performing each action in vivid detail, flawless, confident, and always successful. So why didn't he feel that way now? Why was he so nervous?

Teacher must have heard his sigh, because his hand came to rest on Selim's shoulder, giving a small but comforting squeeze.

"Worried?" he asked softly.

Teacher always had a soft voice, gentle and mild and polite. Selim's natural instinct was to lie. He didn't like admitting that he was worried; it stung his pride to make such a confession. Admitting that he was worried was the same as saying that he wasn't certain of his – no, of _their_ – work, that he wasn't sure that they were right in this plan. And it would also be an admission that he wasn't confident in his ability to perform his part now that the time was upon them.

But Selim was not the same person he had been six years ago. If he could be called a 'person' at all, since technically he didn't meet that definition. Teacher and Big Brother were adamant that a person _was_ a person when they chose to be. It was in man's nature to struggle with his sins, and so Selim worked at controlling his pride and arrogance. It was easier, of course, to feel humble now that he no longer possessed a body superior to humans. He could be injured. He could die. As a child, he did not have the means to protect himself from harm. Despite these facts, though, pride could still rear its head every so often, as it was doing now.

_Humility_, he reprimanded to himself silently. _There is no reason to lie to Teacher. You _are_ worried. He won't judge you for that._

Selim opened his mouth to respond, but found that his throat had gone dry. Cursing his nervousness, he cleared his throat before answering.

"A little."

Teacher raised a skeptical eyebrow at the boy's dry voice and hedged answer. Selim blushed.

"All right, more than a little," he amended. "What if… What if we're wrong somehow? What if this doesn't work? What if there's a rebound?"

He paused.

"I couldn't stand it if Mother had to lose me a second time…"

Teacher's hand tightened on Selim's shoulder and forced him to turn and face the young man. His eyes were concerned, but not pitying or angry or upset, the way Big Brother's might have been, for which Selim was thankful. As much as he respected Big Brother's passion and obstinate determination, right now he much preferred Teacher's calm level-headedness.

"Are you worried that maybe this isn't the right thing to do?" he asked.

Selim shook his head. "No!" he shouted, angry at the suggestion. "No, this _is_ the right thing to do! I _have_ to do it. That's not what I'm worried about! It… it's just a lot to risk. And I don't even know if they'll appreciate it. I guess… I guess I'm just afraid of how they'll react…"

Selim was surprised to find his voice catch at his last words. He hadn't realized how scared he was of their reactions until he admitted it out loud. That, at least, was something humans and Homunculi shared in common: the ability to hide from yourself what you most don't want to acknowledge.

Teacher frowned thoughtfully, and when he responded, he chose his words with care. Another thing Selim appreciated about the man: he almost never spoke hastily. Big Brother was so blunt and rough and rash. He always said exactly what he thought, usually phrasing it in the most brazen and insolent way possible. Honestly, how Selim could hero-worship someone with such little self-restraint was a mystery he doubted he would ever solve.

"What if they don't appreciate it? What if they're angry at you for this? What if they hate you for it? If you knew that was how they would react, would you still do it?"

The question was phrased so seriously that Selim didn't reply immediately. He could see, thinking back, that he had purposefully chosen _not_ to imagine how they would react. He had rehearsed all of his actions up to that point, but hadn't considered what came _after_. Because he wasn't certain. He couldn't honestly say for sure that they would be happy or thankful. What if they _were _angry? What if they _did_ hate him?

Just imagining it was painful. Maybe Selim wasn't entirely human – old habits and thoughts died hard, after all – but he was human enough to realize how much it would hurt for that to be true. If he were still Pride, the question would have made him sneer. So long as he was doing what would please himself, why should he be concerned with how _they_ felt? Why would he _want_ to feel the way humans did, being hurt when others were angry at them or hated them? Caring about others meant you could be hurt by them. It was ridiculous from a Homunculus's point of view. Selim had to mentally shake his head, firmly reminding himself of the truth: _Humans are strong precisely _because _they can feel each others' pain. They beat us because they care about each other even though it can be painful._

The fact that he could imagine that same pain was a clear indication of how much he had grown. It was hard to believe that only six years had gone by since the Promised Day. Six years seemed like an eternity through the eyes of a child; from the eyes of a 400-year old being, it was no time at all. And some of that time, Selim couldn't even remember. He could vividly remember "Pride's" last moments. The fear as his container crumbled around him, the unacknowledged pain of being completely ignored by Father, the burning contempt for Edward for not only challenging him, but also for understanding his desire for Father's approval and praise. His shock as Kimblee's voice spoke from within the tempest of souls clamouring in his Philosopher's Stone. The humiliating terror as Edward turned his attack against him, invading his body and mind and tearing the souls from his Stone. The last thing he remembered as Pride was Kimblee's smooth assertion that he did not understand Edward Elric. His world had disintegrated around him and gone black.

Selim could remember virtually nothing of the first year of his 'rebirth'. Though he knew the major details of that time, the knowledge was second-hand. He knew very little about human children, but it was apparently normal for a person to not remember being an infant. Homunculi were not born; they came into existence fully grown and cognizant, so it was understandably frustrating to him that there was a period in his new life of which he was not now aware. Selim could only be thankful that the period of ignorance had not been very long. His body had not matured any faster than a human child's, but his mind had regained most of its intelligence and memories by his second year. With a six-year old's body and a 400-year old's mind, he was a hidden prodigy.

He had learned the story from Mother near his third birthday, having finally gathered up the courage to ask her. At the end of the Promised Day, Edward had presented his tiny body to his mother, wrapped in a red coat, apologies, and sugar-coated explanations. The boy couldn't bear to give the entire truth to her, and he feared that even the half-truth he gave would be too much. He admitted to her that Selim was an artificial human, created by a being as a pawn in order to gain incredible power. He told her that Selim had lived with and watched the military since Amestris's creation, spying and masquerading as a child. And he told her that, having lived with the Bradleys, having been cared for and loved in his foster family, Selim had slowly come to have a glimpse of humanity. Edward had seen into Selim's soul as they fought, and in what he believed to be his final moments, Selim had clung to the image of his family over the image of his creator.

Edward could have killed Selim. Many would say that he should have. He had instead spared the boy's life. Taking Selim to Ms. Bradley, Ed knew without any doubt that she would take and raise him, bearing the pain of his revelations with the determination to continue loving her foster son no matter what.

Of course, it hadn't been as simple as that. Those in the military who knew of Selim's true identity tried to reason with Ms. Bradley: in his present state, he did not _look_ dangerous, but they couldn't know what he was capable of. He was a dangerous being who had helped plot the destruction of the country. He had flawlessly pretended to be a child, never revealing his true nature to those closest to him. How would he react in the face of failure, with his creator and siblings all dead? What if he wanted revenge?

Major General Olivier Armstrong believed that Selim should be killed immediately. Edward was a sentimental panty-waist, giving compassion to his enemy when he should have shown no mercy. Ed had admitted himself that Selim only looked like a child; killing a baby might be difficult, but nevertheless, it should be done when the thing only _looked_ human. General Roy Mustang, promoted soon after the Promised Day, also believed that leaving Selim alive was the wrong decision. Pride had been directly responsible for his forced human transmutation and subsequent blindness. Though his eyesight was restored soon after, he could not be comfortable about letting Selim live. Captain Riza Hawkeye, too, remembered Pride's threats from the shadows; she doubted she could ever truly be convinced that Selim was no longer a danger, and his action against Roy was something she could not forgive. Izumi Curtis, fierce though she often was, had a soft spot for children and understood Ed's reluctance to kill the boy, but she too doubted the wisdom of the aging woman's desire to raise him again.

These details were left unspoken, too painful for the Fuhrer's widow to hear, but they may not have made any difference. Ms. Bradley had the demeanour of a mild woman, with dignified propriety but not a lot of wilfulness. That image was quickly abused in the minds of those who stood against her. Ms. Bradley listened politely and calmly to each and every argument. She offered no resistance, submitted no retorts. Their concerns and cautions had no visible effect, noted and dismissed like raindrops on a leaf. She would not be dissuaded. She _would_ raise Selim as her own no matter what anyone else said.

Ms. Bradley and Selim lived at the Fuhrer's estate in Central for a little more than two years. The military insisted on keeping a close eye on Selim for those first two years. The guards and frequent military visits had already been a normal part of her life, and the servants of the estate carried a lot of the burden from her shoulders. It was hard to care for a child while mourning her husband's death, but Selim, as he had been in his first life, was well-behaved, crying and fussing very little.

Ms. Bradley knew, however, that they could not live at the estate forever. She feared the effects of the place on both of them. The estate belonged to the military and was intended to be the residence of the current Fuhrer; she was reminded of King's death just by living there. He had been the Fuhrer. He had died serving his country, a man more powerful and capable than men half his age. She was as proud to be his wife as she had been the thirty-odd years ago when he had first caught her eyes… and she had first caught his. But she had accepted, too, that his primary duty was to Amestris. He had been a leader first, a husband second. She had often wistfully longed that he were not quite so dedicated… only to remember that she loved him _because_ of his dedication. Now that he was gone, every room held memories that made her want to smile and weep at the same time. Too often she would look up eagerly when heavy, determined footsteps approached the room and a blue uniformed sleeve opened the door, only to be disappointed when one of the officers under Fuhrer Grumman formally asked leave for her time. If anything, she had to leave the place for her own health, but she wanted to leave for Selim's sake as well.

Selim, once adopted, had lived the sheltered and privileged life of the Fuhrer's son. He had tutors and servants at his disposal, attended classes specially tailored for military children, and was accompanied by guards wherever he went. Before, Ms. Bradley had wished that he could live a normal life, but reasoned that he at least had lived as a regular boy with her husband's relatives before his adoption. This time around, he was not guarded, but watched _as_ the threat. He was not allowed to leave the estate grounds. Only the guards and servants were aware of Selim's existence outside the military, and even they did not know _what_ he was – only that he was to be watched. The rest of the populace believed the story that Selim had died along with King Bradley in the coup, and the military meant to ensure that no one discovered otherwise.

How would that feel to a young boy? What impact would it have on Selim to grow up being watched suspiciously, to never be allowed outside of his home? By his second birthday, Selim had not shown any signs of remembering his past. He was kind. He demonstrated compassion and concern for others. He acted no differently than any other child, playing with the carefree joy of being alive. But he was still smart. He could see the shaded glances of the officers when they came to visit, though they tried to act natural around him. He could see people on the streets of Central from the mansion's windows. How was Ms. Bradley to answer when he asked, "Mama, why are the soldiers afraid of me?" What reason could she give when he asked, "Why can't I leave the house, Mama? Why do I have to stay here all the time?" And he obviously did not believe that the mark on his forehead was a simple scar, as his mother claimed.

Perhaps, with more time, the military would believe that Selim was harmless. Perhaps they would eventually allow him the same freedoms as everyone else. Ms. Bradley did not want to wait for that time. Her arguments were almost as persuasive as her determination: It could not be good for a child to grow up being watched. It was more likely that Selim _would_ remember his past if he continued to be watched. It was also more likely that he would remember if he lived in the same house and city as before. She did not want to live in the mansion, being reminded of her late husband and feeling guilty over occupying a home that rightfully belonged to the Fuhrer and military. She did not wish to be a burden to them. If they continued to live in Central, the risk was greater that Selim's true identity would be discovered, whereas if they moved elsewhere, he could be given more freedom with less risk.

As to be expected, Fuhrer Grumman and those other officers who knew Selim's secret were not persuaded right away, but with each visit, Ms. Bradley presented her request with ever increasing boldness. With no suspicious behaviour on Selim's part and no counters to her arguments, Fuhrer Grumman eventually gave in, providing Ms. Bradley with a smaller (if still impressive) home in the South and a monthly stipend. (The military could not very well allow the late Fuhrer's widow to go without support.) With another half-year of persuasion, Ms. Bradley was also able to dismiss the servants and guards, wishing only for the two of them to live in peace without any reminders of the past.

And live in peace they did, for some time. Ms. Bradley's few friends, not knowing about Selim, believed that she moved to the countryside to mourn the death of her husband and son, leaving the painful memories of the city behind her. It was not good for the aging woman to be all on her own, but they could understand her decision nonetheless. Selim was not yet of the age to attend school, and he could spend the days in carefree play. The nearby villagers did not know who they were and the anonymity, a new experience for both, was an added pleasure.

But the peace could not last.

Selim had begun to remember everything – Father, the Homunculi, the Promised Day, his own identity – shortly after his second birthday. Part of him was still Pride, and that part was mildly insulted that the humans forgot (Oh, how quickly they forgot!) how he had played at being a child for nearly four centuries. Hiding what he was was second nature to Selim.

It was not the same acting as before. Selim was both Homunculus _and_ child, and he did not have to act now. He liked playing games. He cared about those around him. He loved his mother. These things were not a lie, and the key to his act was in behaving as the child inside him pleased. What he did have to fake was how much he knew and remembered. He understood why he was being watched, but had to pretend otherwise. He knew why he was being hidden from the world, but had to pretend that he did not understand.

Without any of his powers, with only his true body and his soulless Philosopher's Stone, Selim _could not_ afford to show the military even the slightest suspicious act. There was no way his mother's protests could save his life if that happened. Yet, to his own surprise, it was not his own life he feared for when lying. Selim wanted to protect his mother. He wanted Mother to be happy, and losing him again would only cause her pain. It was better for her to believe that he remembered nothing. Maintaining his act was the best gift he could give her, the kindest thing he could do for her. The child Homunculus was tired of pretending, but firmly resolved to make this sacrifice for her sake.

Once they moved to the southern countryside and dismissed the guards and servants, though, Selim's resolve began to waver. He found himself repeating, over and over, the conversation he had had with Alphonse Elric while trapped in the darkness of his earthen cage.

"_I can't believe you tricked that nice woman."_

Alphonse's words rang in his mind insistently. At first, Selim couldn't understand why they seemed so important. Was he feeling guilty over how they had lied to her? It was hardly the worst lie the Homunculi had told in their pursuit of Father's dream. Compared to the other things they had done – setting up the Ishvalan civil war, using human lives to create Philosopher's Stones, manipulating Amestris's entire history to create the Nationwide Transmutation Circle – lying to Ms. Bradley about Pride's identity was probably the most innocent and innocuous.

But as he continued to think about it, Selim realized why he felt such guilt: he was still tricking Ms. Bradley. He had deceived Mother in the past, and he was continuing to deceive her now. This time around, his goal was for her good, but that didn't make any difference. He was lying to her. He was pretending and acting, the same as he had in the past, and it wasn't fair to her.

For the first time in the Homunculus's long life, logic and sentiment competed. Did the ends justify the means? Lying to Mother was for her own good, but it still wasn't right. Telling her the truth would be painful, but at least she would no longer be manipulated. Which was better?

He wrestled with the question for a full month before deciding that, whether it was nicer for Ms. Bradley to live an illusion or not, he could no longer tolerate lying to her. She deserved the truth, no matter how unpleasant, and he would allow her to be the one to decide what came next.

This didn't mean he wasn't scared. He was. Selim was terrified of her reaction, terrified of what she would do with him. Would she inform the military and allow them to take him away? She couldn't hide what he would tell her, could she? Would they simply kill him, or perhaps send him to one of their laboratories for experiments? Would the despair of being betrayed by her dear son, and of betraying him in turn, push her over the edge? Making the decision did not mean that he could immediately and easily act upon it. Fear stilled his tongue, doubt plagued his heart, and shame welled up every time he hesitated at an opportune moment.

The revelation, when it came, was brought about more by Pride's arrogance than by Selim's resolve. The Homunculus could not tolerate the weakness of the child, and once the shame became too great, it virtually compelled the boy to speak. Better to face whatever came with his head up than to wallow in weak human fears.

He rehearsed what he would say and how he would say it, but as is so often the case, when Selim seriously sat his mother down and prepared to confess that he had tricked her yet again, all of his carefully chosen words fell completely out of his mind. Instead, the small dark-haired boy could only cry in his mother's arms, explaining between sobs, trembling in fear of her reaction. Surely she would hate him. Surely she would push him away, afraid of and angry at the monster that had taken advantage of her love and kindness _twice_.

Maybe this woman was special. Maybe 'real' humans would have known better. Maybe he had simply believed that he knew more about humans than he really did. In any event, her reaction was not what he had expected.

She cried, of course. She was clearly hurt that he had been tricking her. But instead of recoiling from him, she had only gathered Selim more tightly in her arms, stroking his hair soothingly until he calmed down enough to be surprised.

"You're not mad at me?"

"No, dear. Just… disappointed, in a way."

"You don't hate me?"

"I could never hate you, Selim. You're my son. I'll always love you."

"But I'm a monster! I've been lying to you all this time! It was just an act! It was never real!"

"It was always real to me."

He couldn't believe it.

His Homunculus half was flabbergasted, utterly incapable of understanding. How could she forgive so much so quickly? There were humans who would throw their lives away to protect what was dear to them, but at _some point_ common sense had to kick in! Could emotion override logic so much? It was ridiculous. He wanted to shake the fool woman!

His human half only broke down in relief, ashamed of having doubted her and embarrassed by the fears that should never have crossed his mind. Of course Mother wouldn't hate him! A mother couldn't hate her child; it was just impossible.

She still loved him. But that didn't mean she could just accept him and continue on, did it?

"Selim, do you remember? It was about a year ago now, and you found a little sparrow hurt in the garden. Do you remember that day? Fuhrer Grumman was visiting."

"No." Selim shook his head, and then frowned. "Maybe. It sounds familiar…"

Ms. Bradley smiled. "It's alright if you don't remember. It wasn't really a special day. It was just the last time Fuhrer Grumman came to check up on us personally while in Central."

Selim didn't say anything, but he went still and put his head down, waiting for her next words.

"I don't remember exactly what he said, but it was something like, _"We're going to watch him for a bit longer. If he starts to show anything out of the ordinary, you know what will happen."_"

Selim's fist scrunched in his lap, and without meaning to, he blurted out, "I don't _want_ to be anything out of the ordinary! I wish I didn't remember! I can't _do_ anything! I'm just a child now. A helpless child who can't do anything…"

He started to cry. Again. Damn, but this was humiliating. He had faked crying in his old life, but it had been very infrequent, and the humiliation was countered by the pride of the performance. Envy wasn't the only actor in the family, after all.

"Why can't they just leave me alone now? Father is gone. Everyone must be dead, or else someone would have come for me."

Selim could only assume that the other Homunculi were dead. Lust, Gluttony, and Wrath were certainly dead. Sloth had been ordered to kill the female general, and since she was still alive, that meant he had been defeated. He didn't have the brains to escape and hide. Pride hadn't heard anything more of Envy since he'd left to recapture Doctor Marcoh in the North; since the doctor had appeared at Kanama to join the fight against Pride, Envy had obviously failed and been defeated as well. He might have survived and escaped, and he could easily have assumed a new form and hidden among the humans, but he was loyal and would have returned to Father if he was able. Miserable Greed had predictably shown up at the end, insolently hoping to steal Father's power. Avaricious fool! It was possible he had survived the final confrontation, and the humans probably would have let him live since he'd fought on their side (for his own purposes, though they wouldn't see it that way), but it was far more likely that Father had reabsorbed him.

"The plan failed. What can I do? I just want to stay here."

He turned to Mother, grabbing her arm insistently.

"I want to stay here with you! Don't make me leave!"

Ms. Bradley spoke as if Selim had never interrupted her.

"Do you know how I responded to Fuhrer Grumman? I said, _"I'll see that he doesn't show anything."_"

Selim stared up at his mother, surprised by her tone of voice. She said it like a vow, with a hard edge of resolve that was entirely unlike her normally docile carriage. Her green eyes were gazing out the living room's large bay windows, but she was seeing the memory rather than the trees and fields beyond.

For a few seconds, Selim didn't understand. How could she make a promise like that? She could do her best to raise him, but whether he reverted to his old self or remembered his past were things entirely beyond her control…

Then her meaning clicked and Selim gasped, one part mildly scandalized that his _mother_ had _lied _(A child is always shocked when they first discover that their parents break the rules they impose.), one part delighted in the trick she had played on the Fuhrer. Ms. Bradley merely looked down at his noise and smiled at his understanding.

_She promised that she would make sure he didn't show anything, not that he wouldn't have anything to show._

She had promised, straight to the Fuhrer's face, that to her, Selim's well-being came before anything else.

Of course, this news relieved Selim, though he hoped that his words and fears had shaped her decision to protect him more than simple foolhardiness. He was not a danger anymore, and more importantly, he did not _want_ to be a danger; if there was any indication to the contrary, Ms. Bradley's response might have been quite different. She couldn't know for certain that he was not lying to her, but if he had grand schemes of revenge or plots to destroy the country, it made far more sense to continue the ruse rather than to make confessions.

Neither mother nor son knew what to say next, and they sat in silence in the spring's warm afternoon sun for a long time.

Ms. Bradley was the one to eventually break the still quiet, her question for Selim quite practical:

"What will you do?"

What _would_ Selim do? He was not a child in the normal sense. In two more years, once he turned five, he would be expected to start school – but what would be the point? He knew all the material, having studied and tested the same subjects – math, history, science, and the like – multiple times. It had been torture to fake enthusiastic interest for his tutors, as if he were learning the subject matter for the first time, when in fact he knew far more than his teachers. Once students finished their schooling, they chose a profession or field that interested them, sought more training, apprenticed, found jobs, and contributed to society. Being what Selim was, could he do that too? Did he want to do that too? What did he _want_ to do?

Selim didn't know. He had only ever wanted to fulfill Father's goal. Father would become a perfect being. He had gained an immortal body and freed himself from his human weaknesses. He had opened the planet's Doorway of Truth and created a Philosopher's Stone using 50 million lives. He had seized God for his own, seeking nothing less than complete freedom from everything, including the laws of nature.

How could Selim have his own goal, his own desires, in the face of such ambition? Any goal that humans had seemed petty and meager in comparison. Go to school, work, have friends, fall in love, have children, live, and then die? It was like asking someone to crawl when they could fly. It was like asking someone to be satisfied with a small hovel when they had lived in a palace. It was like asking someone to live on bread and water when they remembered the taste of the king's feast.

These comparisons felt harsh, but Selim couldn't say that he would be satisfied with a normal human's life. Not yet, anyway.

In an effort to avoid showing these thoughts, he asked Mother to tell him everything she knew about the Promised Day, and she obligingly recounted all that Edward had told her. It wasn't much. A lot of the information was clearly distorted, the truth twisted into an easily digestible story for the general public. Ms. Bradley knew, like the public, that the plot had been more sinister than a simple coup d'état by the military higher-ups to overthrow the Fuhrer and seize power. She, unlike the public, knew that not just ordinary humans had been involved (though she didn't know the technical term _homunculus_). But her knowledge was vague and answered none of Selim's most pressing questions: What had happened to Father? How had he been defeated? What about his siblings? How had they each met their end? Pride might have had no sympathy for his fellow Homunculi, but Selim found that he cared quite a bit about their fates. He wanted to feel sad about their deaths, but couldn't embrace the emotion properly until he knew how they had died.

Recognizing this desire, what Selim wanted at that moment suddenly became so clear to him that he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before.

He wanted to speak to Edward and Alphonse Elric.

They were the only ones who could answer all of his questions. They would know everything, but wouldn't want to kill him when they found out that he remembered.

That was what Kimblee had meant, after all. Pride had thought that Edward was going to kill him, but Kimblee had somehow known that that was not Edward's intention. Pride hadn't understood that Edward was not willing to kill even a creature as inhuman, as cold and arrogant and dangerous, as the Homunculus Pride. Selim still didn't completely understand Edward's choice in sparing his life, but he thought he caught a glimpse of Ed's reasoning when it came to his mother. There were so many humans and their lives were so short that the death of one hardly mattered. And yet, Ms. Bradley's life held so much value to him. He never wanted her to die. If that was the case, then every human life held significance above and beyond its significance to just that one person. And so, no life should be ended unless it was absolutely necessary.

Selim had changed and grown, and _that_ was why Edward had spared him: because there had been the possibility for him to grow and change. To become… human.

Well, that was pushing it. Selim was not human, and he never would be. It was more accurate to say that he had become sympathetic with humanity. Humans still had a lot of faults; they were still violent and illogical and selfish. But they also had a good side that Selim could recognize and appreciate, if not completely understand.

Mother was somewhat surprised when Selim declared his wish to see the Elric brothers, if only because she had assumed, given that Edward had reduced Selim to his current state, that the boy would consider them to be enemies. But his request was not at all antagonistic or deceitful, and Edward had in fact visited once to see how the child Homunculus was faring (though at an age when Selim was too young to remember).

Ms. Bradley had to give Selim the unfortunate news that Edward and Alphonse had left Amestris almost a year ago. Even living in the Southern countryside, she still heard gossip through her social grapevine. Many of her friends were military wives, and although Edward was no longer a State Alchemist, he was still a popular conversation topic. Alphonse journeyed to the East, aiming for Xing to learn alkahestry. Edward travelled west to Creta. According to gossip, he and his brother planned to return to Amestris and Resembool in the year 1918 to consolidate their new knowledge. It would probably be another half a year before they returned. A year and a half didn't sound like a long time to learn a new form of alchemy, but on the other hand, it would be the longest the brothers had ever been apart.

Selim was of course disappointed by this news, but Ms. Bradley optimistically reassured him that the Elrics' return would come sooner than he expected. Once they heard that Selim wanted to meet with them, she was sure that they would come. She wrote a letter requesting their presence at the earliest convenience, carefully choosing her words to prevent unwanted readers from uncovering Selim's secret while trying to hint to Edward that the visit would be more than just a courtesy call.

For the next few months, life returned to normal in the Bradley household while Selim waited for Edward's return. Ms. Bradley worried that Selim would suddenly start to act differently after his 'confession', but her concern was largely unnecessary. Selim's behaviour was little different than before, and he continued to amuse himself in the typical pastimes of a three-year old child. If anything, he actually seemed more carefree and at ease, the burden of constantly maintaining his deception lifted from his shoulders so that he no longer needed to worry about what he said or did.

The most prominent change was that Selim now felt free to reveal just how intelligent he actually was. Children's storybooks were quickly supplemented by newspapers, philosophy, and politics. Selim continued to enjoy colouring books and jigsaw puzzles, but also began to challenge Mother at skilled strategy games like chess, go, and shogi. His speech was more developed than the average three-year old, and he adopted an adult-like seriousness in sharing responsibilities with his mother for their home's upkeep, attending to chores and details – like checking the roof for loose or lost shingles and covering the rosebushes' roots in the garden to protect from oncoming winter snow – that even adults might not think to do.

Those months were not filled with mindless play for Selim. One part of him was anxious to speak with the Elrics and learn the truth of what had happened on the Promised Day, but Selim also rationally had to consider the future regardless of what the Elrics revealed. Father's ambitious struggle for power and freedom left him jaded with the typical goals of humans. Pride's residual arrogance was still strong. Try as he might, Selim could not accept the idea of being just another ordinary human.

The idea came to him in the middle of Edward and Alphonse's visit.

Edward had been hopeful that Selim would remain with the mentality of a child, but Alphonse had realistically expected that that wouldn't be the case. When Envy had been reduced to his true form, he had retained his memories and personality, and there was no reason to believe that the same wouldn't be true for Pride. Even if the shock of his defeat had left him physically and mentally weakened, the memories were probably still there. As the brothers travelled to the Bradley home, Alphonse's guess as to why their presence was requested was far closer to the truth than Edward's, and he was not in the least bit surprised when Selim nervously began the same confession that he had given his mother a few months earlier.

Selim hadn't expected the brothers to be too upset by the news, and he was right: Edward looked somewhat disturbed and a bit angry (especially once he realized that the military was being deceived), but considering the young man's usual hot-headedness, his reaction was mild at best, while Alphonse appeared largely unsurprised and undisturbed. He asked a few questions to clarify what exactly Selim remembered and whether anyone else knew, and then fell silent along with Ed as the two considered the implications of this revelation. Selim, afraid to make any requests until he saw their reactions, sat silently as well. Ms. Bradley, seated beside Selim, found the whole situation uncomfortable and fidgeted with her teacup nervously, afraid that the extended silence bode ill for her and her son. Perhaps they shouldn't have been so certain that the Elrics would keep their secret…

Alphonse noticed Ms. Bradley's expression and characteristically moved to calm her fear.

"Please don't be worried, Ma'am. We're not going to tell the military-"

"So long as you're not plotting anything," Ed said, curtly cutting his brother off.

Al made a face, but Edward didn't notice. He had leaned forward, his hands clasped and elbows resting on his knees, with his golden eyes intently holding Selim's gaze.

"Why tell us all this? What are you aiming at? What do you want?" he asked. "If you're hoping to use us again, it won't work."

"No!" Selim gasped, angry at the suggestion. "It's nothing like that! I'm not plotting anything! I'm not like that anymore! I've changed. I just-"

"How are we supposed to know that? Let me be frank, Selim: You weren't exactly a bad actor. How can we know that you're telling the truth?"

Selim pulled back from Ed's challenging tone and gaze, wilting under his accusing words. He hadn't expected Ed to be so aggressive, but he couldn't blame the young man. Pride had done so much wrong. He could name several things off the top of his head just against the Elric brothers personally: He had taken control of Al's armoured body, attacked both of them, tried to kill their father and friends, and fought against them to ensure that the Nationwide Transmutation Circle activated successfully. More indirectly (but certainly still seen by the brothers as acts against them), he had hurt and threatened Riza Hawkeye, forced Roy Mustang to commit the taboo of human transmutation, and deceived Ms. Bradley.

Pride's arrogant logic didn't factor into it. He couldn't make excuses for any of the things he had done.

"…I can't prove that I'm telling the truth. Anything I say to convince you could be a lie," Selim murmured. "But _I_ know I've changed. I lied to Mother to protect her. I told her the truth for the same reason.

"At first, I didn't understand why you chose to let me live. It didn't make sense. I was your enemy; you should have killed me. I always just thought that humans were weak and sentimental and foolish. You let yourselves be manipulated so easily. A simple threat to someone you cared about was all that was necessary to restrain you."

Selim spoke softly, with his eyes down, but he could still feel Mother stiffen at his words from her place by his side, and he hastened to what he wanted to say next.

"But all of that's changed! I know what it's like to want to protect someone now. I understand what it means to care about someone. I think about all of the people that died because of us and I can't even imagine _trying_ to apologize, because it would be impossible. And I think about Father and the others – Wrath and Lust, Envy and Gluttony and Sloth, and even Greed – and I wish that they could have… I don't know, that they could have understood that. That life can't just be relegated to numbers and usefulness.

"I know you can't trust me and there's no reason for you to think that I've changed or that I'm telling the truth, but I just wanted… I just wanted…"

He took a pause, fighting against the way his throat was tightening and his eyes were becoming blurry.

"I just… wanted to know what happened. To Father. To the others. How they died… You were the only ones I could ask. I just want to know… what happened."

Selim fell quiet and the silence stretched. He kept his head down, trembling and struggling not to start crying again, though it was probably a losing battle.

_They aren't going to tell me_, he thought miserably. _They don't believe me. They think I'm just making stuff up to try to convince them that I can be trusted. It's not fair! I'm not Pride anymore! I-_

"I believe you."

_Huh?_

"I knew that you could change, but I had to test to make sure."

_What?_

Edward's hand – his right hand, made of flesh instead of automail – fell on Selim's shoulder and pushed so that Selim was forced to lift his head up and look at the two brothers. Alphonse was wearing a small smile, while Ed's serious expression had softened somewhat.

"It was my choice to let you live, and I wouldn't regret that even if you were the same as before. I resolved to _not_ take life and I still stick by that conviction, but my decision has put you in this situation, and I'm sorry for that. It can't have been easy." Ed switched his gaze to Ms. Bradley. "For either of you."

Ms. Bradley smiled mildly and lifted her free hand in a placating gesture.

"I won't say it's been easy, but I can't say that it's been hard. We always got a lot of attention, you know, as the Fuhrer's family! The security and visits were never a big deal. Except, well, before he told me, I _was_ worried about Selim's health. Needing to keep him a secret, always being watched…" She sighed and peered down into her tea. "And now this. I wish things could be simpler. I wish we didn't have to lie. A part of me wishes that I could just go back to living in ignorant bliss!"

Ms. Bradley gave a light laugh as she spoke, but Selim still flinched as if at a blow.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't have to tell you-"

"No, dear. I'm glad you told me. A child shouldn't have to carry such a burden alone. You're happier this way, and that makes up for any wistfulness on my part."

Edward leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms thoughtfully as he studied the pair. Al turned to look at his brother, and when Ed's eyes slid to the side to meet his own, Al nodded.

"I think we should tell him. It's cruel to leave him in the dark," Al whispered.

"Yeah, I think so too," Ed whispered back. "If I were in his shoes, I'd want to know the whole story. He might feel bad for a while, but it's better than not knowing. And it's not like there's anything he can do about it now, anyways." He raised his voice to a normal level and addressed Ms. Bradley. "Ma'am, I don't suppose you'd mind leaving us alone for a bit?"

Ms. Bradley started in surprise at the request.

"It's nothing personal," Al said. "Some parts of this story are different from what you've heard, and it would just be better and easier this way. We're sorry to be so rude about it-"

"No, not at all. I understand," Ms. Bradley assured them as she stood up and gathered the boys' empty teacups and tray. "Why don't I go brew another pot while you boys talk?"

And with that, she left, and Selim was able to hear the whole story for the first time.

From Al, how Envy had had his Philosopher's Stone completely depleted in the North, reducing him to a tiny lizard-like parasite. How the little foreigner girl, told to take Envy back to Xing for her clan, had instead returned to Central where Envy was able to replenish his powers. From Ed, how he had revealed his guilt in Maes Hughes' murder to Roy Mustang, who had burned him to the verge of death in furious vengeance. And in the end, how Envy had torn out and crushed his own Stone to escape the humiliation of his defeat by the humans he secretly and ashamedly envied.

From Major Armstrong and Izumi Curtis, how Sloth had attempted to kill Major General Armstrong and been repeatedly killed until his Philosopher's Stone ran out and he died permanently.

From sheer conjecture (since neither of the Elrics had run into Scar after the Promised Day - though rumours were becoming more believable that he was indeed alive - or had an opportunity to ask Lan Fan), how Wrath had fought Scar to prevent his interference with Father and had finally succumbed to his grave injuries, dying in what seemed to be a pose of satisfaction and acceptance.

From both boys, Father's confrontation above ground as everyone joined forces to defeat him. His horrendous creation of people using the remaining souls of Xerxes. His intention to replenish his Stone by using the lives of the people who stood against him one by one, starting with Ed. Al's sacrifice of his metal body to restore Ed's real arm. Father's attack on Greed, pulling the Homunculus from Ling's body to seize his Philosopher's Stone, which backfired as Greed turned his father's body into the weakest carbon in existence. Father's revenge on his rebellious son as Greed was torn away and discarded, coupled with Greed's own fulfillment in having helped secure victory and saved his friends through his own death.

And finally, Father's own end. Seized by the black hands of Truth, slowly collapsing into himself, bound and crying that he only wanted to be free, the first true Homunculus had been sent back to the realm from which he had come.

Selim didn't speak, but the changes in his expression as the story was told spoke for him.

Upon hearing of Envy's defeat, his mouth twisted in scorn. Upon hearing that he had confessed to Hughes' murder, a disbelieving shake of the head. Upon hearing of his suicide, a displeased frown mingled with sadness. At Sloth's death, Selim looked unsurprised but regretful. At Wrath's, he momentarily bowed his head out of respect. The others had looked down on Wrath because of his young age, inability to heal, and decision to take a human wife, but Pride considered Wrath to be second only to himself in terms of skill, strength, and resolve.

At Greed's death, Selim couldn't keep the conflict from his face. Ed obviously considered Greed to be a friend. Pride, firmly in the Homunculi's camp, and Selim, taking the human side, struggled internally against his differing viewpoints. As Selim, he was sad that Ed had lost a friend and sad that Greed had had to sacrifice himself to win the fight, though he was also happy that Greed had been able to die in such a noble way. As Pride, he couldn't stop himself from derogatorily thinking that Greed deserved what he got for his betrayal.

And at Father's death, Selim's expression became blank and stony, like a mask. His creator, his father, had failed. The greatest, most ambitious plan in the history of the planet had failed. Success had been just within their grasp, and yet it slipped away. No one would ever be able to come as close as they had to creating a God on Earth.

Selim couldn't allow himself to think about it. If he did, he would start to question himself. _What if it was _my_ fault? Was there anything else I could have done? If I had been faster, if I hadn't allowed myself to be caught… _The opposite of pride was humility, but the greatest blow to pride was failure. If he allowed himself to assign blame or second-guess his actions, he could quickly and easily be consumed by the guilt and shame of their defeat.

Ed finished talking and sat back on the couch, trying to discern Selim's thoughts by studying his expression. Al was concerned that Selim's silence meant he was upset. After a few minutes, Selim pulled himself out of his thoughts and realized that the brothers were waiting for some kind of response.

"Thank you," he said formally, giving a seated bow. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm happy about any of it, but I appreciate that you told me."

Ms. Bradley, who either had impeccably good timing or had been sneaking peeks from the kitchen to see when the boys were finished, returned bearing a fresh tray of tea and cookies.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Ed asked as he reached around Al's arms, carefully filling the teacups, to grab several cookies from the tray on the table.

With Mother there, Selim tried to sound more upbeat, not wanting her to worry about what he'd just heard.

"I'm not sure. Mother asked me that too, but I don't know. I guess the only thing I _can_ do is live as a normal human."

Ed shook his head slightly, not so much in disagreement as in doubt.

"It won't be easy." He popped the last cookie in his mouth before clapping his hands together, holding his hands open for a few seconds, and then shrugging nonchalantly. "I'm still not entirely used to it myself. Alchemy made everything so easy and now that I can't use it-"

"What do you mean?" Selim interrupted. "How come you can't use it anymore?"

Ed looked startled at the abrupt outburst. Selim was sitting forward now, looking up with sudden interest far different from his previously reserved diffidence.

"Oh, I figured you'd already heard this last part. I gave up my Gateway of Truth to get Al's body back."

Selim was stunned.

"But I thought you went to the West to research other forms of alchemy…?"

"I did," Ed said, waving his hand loosely. "Just because I gave up my Gateway of Truth doesn't mean I lost my _knowledge_ of alchemy; I still remember everything, but I just can't use it anymore. The Gateway serves as the medium through which an alchemist's knowledge comes into the world…"

Selim listened intently as Ed continued to explain, while Ms. Bradley looked bewildered. Al noticed her confused expression and smiled sheepishly.

"… That bast-" Ed quickly changed his words at Ms. Bradley's frown. "Er, I mean, that Truth guy asked if I would lower myself to become just a normal person! I mean, I said that I was just a normal human anyway," Selim started, while Ed continued talking, "but I really didn't appreciate how useful alchemy was until then. It's harder than it looks to fix things by hand!"

_Just… a normal human?_ Selim thought slowly. _That's right; I'm not sure if I can live as just a normal human. But alchemists…"_

"That's it!" he shouted, jumping to his feet in excitement.

Everyone stared, Ed with his mouth still open from what he had been about to say next.

"I can't believe it didn't occur to me before! To either of us!" He turned to Mother wearing a wide grin. "Mama, don't you remember what I used to say all the time? Why I loved hearing stories about the Little Alchemist so much?"

Ms. Bradley could only shake her head in consternation at his slip in using her old pet name – a habit he had stopped after his confession.

"Because I wanted to learn alchemy, just like him! I wanted to become a State Alchemist to help Father!"

Selim turned to the Elric brothers.

"I don't know if I could live as a normal human, but alchemists _aren't_ normal humans. I couldn't study it before because I had my disguise to keep up, and besides, Father already knew everything about alchemy anyway so there would have been no point, but now!"

His fists clenched in determination and his eyes had a starry exuberance that strongly reminded Ed and Al of the first time they had met Selim Bradley in the Central Library.

"I want to become an alchemist!"

Edward and Alphonse were initially cautious of the idea and it was easy to see why: Father's knowledge of alchemy had been used for such a power-hungry purpose. Ed did honestly believe that Selim had changed, but if he were ever to take a turn for the worst with alchemy in his repertoire…

Their concern left Selim quite indignant. He didn't want to rule the world. He didn't want to kill or harm anyone. He wanted to learn and practice an art that would both help others _and_ give him a position somewhat above other humans.

"You shouldn't want to learn alchemy just so that you can impress people!" Ed had exclaimed in exasperation.

"Why not?" Selim challenged. "What did _you_ learn alchemy for?"

Ed's face darkened, thinking that Selim was referring to their failed human transmutation, but then Al laughed in concession, shaking his head at his brother's suspicion.

"He's right, Ed. Our reason for learning alchemy was pretty selfish. We only studied alchemy because Mom praised us for it."

"Yeah, okay, I'll admit that, but you're still too young-"

"Hardly," Selim said dismissively. "Need I remind you that I _am_ the oldest Homunculus? I'm almost four centuries old! And besides, you guys started learning alchemy at a young age too!"

"Well sure, but the military won't just sit by and let you study it; it'd be too dangerous-"

"They'll let me if _you _say it's alright. It's not like the military licenses people to learn alchemy or anything. They think I'm just a child. I wanted to learn alchemy in my past life, so there's no reason why it'd be suspicious or anything. They'll trust your judgment."

"How about if I said that I'd rather you not have such powerful knowledge?"

Selim gave a hurt expression, which wasn't particularly convincing as it struggled through his excitement.

"Because you don't trust me? Well, that's easy to fix: You can be my teachers!"

"What!?" Ed gaped at the boy. "We don't want to be teachers! We're way too busy with our own research! How are we supposed to teach you when we've got traveling to do and research to undertake and families to visit, huh?"

"But don't you need students at some point? A new form of alchemy deserves disciples, doesn't it? You've got to teach someone eventually or you'll dishonour your own teacher. You'll be able to monitor what I'm learning. I don't mind self-study while you're away. Please? Please? _Please_?"

Eventually Ed and Al succumbed to Selim's pleading, and so learning alchemy became Selim's defining goal. His mother, unsurprisingly at the time, was not thrilled with the idea of her three-and-a-half year old studying alchemy, but after having accepted the fact that he was far older than he looked, she also had to accept that the argument of 'but you're too young' wouldn't work. Given his unique situation, she was happy to support him, even if she couldn't understand any of the material. She was especially glad to see how happy this new goal was making him.

Selim was an amazingly quick study. It was hard to say whether that was because he had picked up on the basic knowledge during the Homunculi's scheming, whether he had inherited a natural aptitude from Father in the same way that Edward and Alphonse had been naturally gifted through Hohenheim, or whether he recalled some of the knowledge from his assimilation of Kimblee and the nameless gold-toothed doctor. Perhaps it was a mix of all three. In any event, Selim absorbed his lessons like a sponge. He had no difficulty understanding Edward's explanations, he followed Alphonse's demonstrations avidly, and he frequently completed his assigned readings ahead of time, left hungering for more. The only thing he struggled with was alkahestry and reading the Dragon's Pulse – but Alphonse consoled Selim with the fact that he too struggled with the concept of energy and chi, being as they were from Xing's culture and a totally foreign idea to Amestrian alchemy.

He should have been happy.

That was what Selim found himself thinking on his fourth birthday.

The feeling was curious. Selim couldn't quite put it into words. He _was_ happy. He was happy, and yet something was missing. Mother and he lived a simple life. He had no complaints about his days, filled with alchemy, play, and occasional outings to the nearby town. The military seemed to have given up on monitoring him; officers who knew Ms. Bradley sometimes visited, but Selim thought that was more for his mother's sake than because of him. Edward and Alphonse visited on a semi-regular basis, the brothers having decided to settle down in Resembool for a while as they worked on their new theories.

He had no complaints, and yet there was a nagging sense of dissatisfaction, of incompletion, that left a hole in his heart and doubts in his mind, a sense that grew more insistent with each passing day.

Was this how Greed and Gluttony had felt? Gluttony had been little more than a stomach with a mind, consumed by the need to eat to try and sate his hunger, but no matter how much he consumed, he could not fill the literal chasm that had existed inside him. Greed's hunger had not been for food, but for all of the wealth and power in the world. He had wanted to possess everything, a desire that was also impossible to fulfill.

Was this feeling of emptiness simply an inevitable by-product of his new human life, to be endured but never satisfied? Or was there actually something missing from his life? Pride had never experienced anything even faintly resembling sympathy, but Selim understood a certain pity for the two Sins who had been plagued by this restless longing for more.

What was there in his new life that wasn't good enough?

It was his reflections on Greed and Gluttony that eventually led him to the answer.

Selim had Mother. He had friends in Edward and Alphonse, acquaintances in the nearby town. He had a goal for his life, a direction regained after losing Father's dream. He had praise from his mother, from the Elric brothers, the townspeople, and the visiting military officers at his rapid progress in alchemy. But when compared to his old life, one thing was missing:

His family.

Selim couldn't delude himself into believing that the Homunculi had been a 'normal' family. He knew quite rationally that theirs had not been the close, loving, and compassionate picture of family that humans long for if they do not have and treasure if they do. Pride had had little to do with his siblings; he had his job – spying on the military officials, killing those who might otherwise impede their plans, prodding Sloth to work whenever he became too lazy, occasionally passing on messages from Father – and they had theirs. He and Wrath had enjoyed their dual act at playing house, and they both had probably wished at times that it was more than just an act, but Wrath had only been around for a short time (in relative terms) and Selim couldn't exactly say that they had been _close_ to each other. Lust, Envy, Greed, and Gluttony had been kept busy outside of Central, doing what they could to foster violence and bloodshed at the necessary points on the circle to carve out the crests of blood and keeping their eyes and ears open for potential human sacrifices. But when they finished their work, they always returned home (with the exception of Greed after the first hundred years), coming to report to Father and receive their next instructions, coming to wait for the next phase of the plan. They had checked in to visit, to be with their own kind, to be where they didn't need to watch what they said, they didn't have to hide what they were, and they didn't need to cover whatever scorn or disgust or contempt (or hunger) they felt for the humans surrounding them.

Theirs wasn't a perfect family. Theirs wasn't a close family. But it _had_ been a family. It had been _his_ family.

Gluttony and Lust had been close to each other. The fondness with which Gluttony stuck by Lust's side had been genuine, as had been his grief upon her death. And Lust had cared about Gluttony as well, watching over him much like a mother. Envy and Greed had fought and bickered as all brothers do. The fact that murder had been committed on both sides was less a testament to hatred as it was to their existence as immortal beings. Greed had run away, but wasn't that common in lots of rebellious human teenagers? Envy had been outraged when they decided to allow Colonel Mustang to live, an obvious hypocrisy when he so loved to ridicule humans for their inability to put logic over sentiment. All of the Homunculi had worked together at one point or another.

Selim had a family in his mother, but he wanted his old family back. He missed them. That was what was missing in his new life that had been a part of his old one: his brother and sister Homunculi.

"Selim?"

Selim started as Teacher's voice broke through his reflections. He had completely forgotten where he was or what he was doing, so lost had he been in his memories.

_This is no time to be nostalgic!_ Selim thought furiously. _You need to focus! Teacher asked you a question; now what was it…?_

That's right: He had asked if Selim would still go through with this plan if they were angry at him for it. If they hated him for it.

Having remembered the past and imagined the pain, there was no doubt in Selim's mind.

"It doesn't matter if they hate me. If they hate me, it's still a price I have to pay."

_I know that we were just pawns to Father. I know that we did awful, unforgiveable things._

"This is the right thing to do."

_We were made to be what we were. We didn't have any choice. We didn't choose our lives._

"No matter what, this is something that I have to do."

_They deserve the chance to be happy. If they can understand what it means to be human, then maybe they can seek forgiveness and happiness as well. If there's even the possibility for a second chance, I have to take it._

Big Brother's voice yelled down from the top of the basement stairs, breaking through the moment.

"Hey! You two ready down there? It's almost time!"

Teacher looked at Selim, waiting for his go-ahead. Selim met his gaze fiercely and nodded. He no longer felt nervous. He felt determined.

Teacher turned and called back up, "Yes, we're ready! How much time is there?"

There was a moment of silence. Big Brother was probably looking out the window and checking his watch. After a pause, his voice shouted back down to them, "About five minutes! Take your positions. I'll give the signal once it's started. Remember; you've got to go as soon as it starts, so once you hear me-"

"Yup, we know!" Teacher replied as he stepped forward, coming to stand at the edge of the transmutation circle.

He nodded to Selim and Selim moved as well, walking slowly and carefully to stand in the centre of the circle. Carefully so as to not smudge any of the lines. Slowly because the moment felt solemn. By standing in the centre of the circle, he was accepting the risk that accompanied it. There was no guarantee that this would work, no matter how much planning and calculating they had done. His life, his soul, and his Stone were part of the exchange.

Once in the centre, Selim turned around to face Teacher.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I was feeling hesitant, but you helped steel my resolve."

"Don't be silly," Teacher replied. "You steeled your own resolve."

"If anything happens to me, please tell Mother that I-"

"No. I'm not going to take sad news to Ms. Bradley for you. This will work. You'll be fine. Save whatever you want to say for when you see her again."

Selim nodded, heartened by the optimism. _I don't know how humans can be so optimistic. Funny how it used to seem so foolish of them, and yet now here I am admiring it! If this works, maybe I'll be that optimistic too some day._

"Now!" Edward's voice shouted from above them.

Selim clapped his hands together, joining the circles drawn on his palms.

Alphonse clapped with him.

Together, they pressed their hands to the floor.

And the transmutation circle began to glow.


	2. Reunion

Number of words: 9,496

Published date: August 8, 2012

Began chapter: January 26, 2012

Finished chapter: April 7, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 2: Reunion**

The first thing he became aware of, upon waking from a dark and dreamless sleep, was vibrations.

The tremors coursed through his whole body, pounding like a drum in his bones, beating behind his eyes and in his head like an erratic heartbeat, and he wondered groggily if there was an earthquake.

The second thing he became aware of was noise.

It took him some time to recognize the sound of human voices, and that in itself was disturbing. His mind felt slow and dazed, but even in his confused state, he knew that thinking should not be this difficult.

He tried to listen to what was being said, but the voices sounded odd – as if they were coming from high above him – and muffled, as if his ears were stuffed with cotton. Not only that, but they sounded panicky, or perhaps excited. Was it because of the earthquake? Was he in danger? Should he be worried? Whether it killed him or not, being crushed under falling stone didn't sound like very much fun.

He opened his eyes, blinking a few times to try to focus his vision, but everything remained blurry and vague. Wherever he was, it was annoyingly dark. He couldn't get a good look at what he was seeing. Shadows and light danced across the floor and the flickering movements made his eyes ache. He closed them, opened them again, struggling to make sense of what they were telling him.

He was lying on the floor. That much was pretty easy to figure out, for the surface pressing against his cheek was smooth, cold, and smelled of chalk and concrete. His senses told him that he was inside a building, for there was no wind, no scent of trees or wood or soil, no refreshing breeze. The air was actually dank and musty; he wondered if they were underground, which seemed like a pretty stupid place to be with this earthquake going on. He couldn't see any wall, though, which must mean that the room was quite large.

To his right, he could see a large object lying next to him. It was difficult to tell what it was in the flickering light, but by staring at the thing for several seconds, he was able to distinguish the lumpy shadows for what they were: a human body.

Or at least, that's what it looked like, but it didn't seem possible.

The body was lying face-up. He could see the side of the leg and thigh, light-skinned and well muscled. He could just make out the foot and toes, stretching to the edge of his vision. He could see the arm and the hand, which was very near to his face, sheathed in a tight black glove. The midriff was bare, the chest and waist clothed in black. Looking in the other direction, he could see the human's hair, long and spiky strands of dark green, spread around its head in a disheveled mess. He couldn't see the face and he didn't recognize the person, but the body wasn't moving.

It didn't seem possible that it could be a human, for the hand alone was larger than Envy's body.

Confused, Envy peered down at his own body, wriggling the various parts experimentally, mentally scanning to see what sort of state he was in.

He resembled his true form, his monstrous and huge and cobbled-together form, but only in the basics. He had eight limbs. He had a tail. His skin was green and clammy. He could feel the ridged bumps along his spine. He had two eyes and a mouth, but there the resemblance ended. His limbs were short and stubby. The bumps should have been spikes. He was missing the black hair, the squirming faces, the mismatched eyes, the wide and toothy mouth. Not to mention the fact that he was the size of a rat. A modest rat at that.

He had been reduced to his _true_ form. His natural form without any augmenting power from his Philosopher's Stone.

It couldn't be! How was this possible?

Envy panicked. He was disoriented and confused. His memories jumbled unpleasantly. The first time he had been rendered to this tiny, miserable body had been at the hands of Doctor Marcoh. The mere thought of the man filled Envy with a burning hatred for his humiliating defeat, only moderately tempered by the remembrance of terrible pain – the pain of his Stone being stripped of its souls.

The second time…

Fire.

Mustang.

That bastard had killed him. Had killed him over and over and over again. Had repeatedly burned him to death until his Stone was completely depleted, leaving him helpless.

Envy couldn't remember anything else, didn't care about anything else. He had to get away, escape somehow, before the man killed him again, killed him for keeps this time.

The vibrations suddenly seemed far more ominous. Envy had mistaken the tremors for an earthquake, but he realized now that it was not the earth itself that shook. Instead, he was feeling the pounding of feet on the ground, seemingly magnified through his small and sensitive body. And the voices had seemed so far away because they _were_ coming from high above him.

The feet were pounding in their search for him. The voices were calling as they hunted for him.

Whatever had happened to free him from that bastard's wrath, Envy didn't know and he wasn't about to pause to find out. Even now, his chance for survival was slim, but he was desperate. He didn't want to die.

Envy didn't have the ability to regenerate. He couldn't shape-shift. He couldn't run.

But he _could_ possess.

And in an amazing stroke of luck, there was a body lying right next to him, ripe for the picking. Never mind that it wasn't moving. An injured human body was better than his current form. Envy picked himself up and, moving as quickly as he could on his short legs, headed straight for the hand in front of him.

* * *

"It looks like he's going for it," a child's voice said, excited and raised for the others to hear.

"Good. Are you free to handle it, Al?"

"Yeah. I just hope this part works. If we miscalculated how his ability operates-"

The child interrupted. "Don't worry about that. I was the most involved in helping him learn to use his powers, and I know a bit about assimilating others, too. We didn't miscalculate."

There was a pause.

"It might freak him out, though…"

* * *

Envy had little actual experience in _using_ his parasitic powers. After all, he had only been in this body once before. Though it might be called his 'natural' body in a technical sense, it was _not_ natural for him to be in it. But all of that didn't matter now. Envy had already discovered in the North that taking control of another person's body was an instinctive thing for him; it had taken him years and years of practice to master shape-shifting (a fact that had particularly rankled when his siblings used their own powers without thought or effort), but possessing that sniveling fuzzy-lipped man had been easy for him.

Envy came to the hand, opened his mouth, and bit down. Moving quickly, he worked his body lightly into the human's flesh and proceeded upwards, aiming for the back of the neck where the nervous system was most accessible and vulnerable.

A niggling thought came to the Homunculus that something didn't feel quite right. The body was warm; he could feel the heart beating, feel the blood pumping in the veins, but instinct nagged in the back of his mind. The thought came to him that the body was alive, but the person was not.

_Ridiculous_, Envy told himself. _I'm just imagining things._

Driven by the powerful need to get as far the hell away from Mustang as possible, Envy discredited the feeling and focused on his task. Coming to the base of the neck, he forced himself a little deeper into the body, insinuating his own nerves into the nerves of the helpless human host.

The process was initially disorienting as Envy's awareness of his own body expanded to encompass that of the human's as well. The possession created a strange dichotomy; Envy was able to feel and move his body and the human's body at the same time, but they remained separated in his mind, giving him distinct control over two bodies at once. Luckily for him, his instincts and shape-shifting experience provided something of a buffer against the dizzying feat. As a shape-shifter, he had had to develop a constant and complete awareness of his body at all times, controlling whatever form he was in while containing his true self inside.

If he hadn't been pressed for time, Envy might have taken a few moments to familiarize himself with this hapless human's body – gauge the fitness level, get a look at the face, experiment with moving just to get a feel for it, at the very least check out the age and gender – but to do so would use up precious minutes that Envy was certain he did not have.

Tersely, Envy seized hold of the muscles and jerked the body brusquely to its feet. It stumbled in rising, but that wasn't a surprise. What _did_ shock him was the lack of resistance to his commands. Not that the man he'd possessed in the North had been any real trouble, but Envy had still needed to fight against the human to impose his own will. With this body, there was no resistance at all. It felt like an empty doll under Envy's touch. Maybe the human was unconscious? It was weird, but no matter; he could figure it out _after_ he made his escape.

Envy had just raised a leg to begin running (in which direction, he didn't know and didn't care) when the room suddenly flared with light.

Coming so quickly out of the faint candlelight, the powerful glow was blinding and Envy instinctively squeezed his eyes shut against the bright stab, but in the next moment, he forced them back open and squinted against the glare. The human's long hair helped to act as a shield from Envy's position on the nape of the neck just above the human's collar, but at the same time, it blocked his view of what – or who – was causing the light. Was it Mustang? He couldn't see.

For a few seconds, Envy was torn on what he should do. Where was Mustang? Which way should he go? What was the light, and who was causing it? An enemy? Probable. Ally? Unlikely. Friend? Non-existent. Should he attack and try to kill whoever it was, or should he pretend to be a poor civilian, ignorant and desperate for help?

The difficult choice was ultimately taken from Envy's hands. His purple parasitic gaze had only just fallen to the floor, had only just realized what was causing the light, had only just widened in shocked confusion, when the earth promptly decided to switch places with the sky. Gravity reversed, sensations and nerves became a tangled mess in his head, and the distinction between bodies dissolved along with consciousness as he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

"Envy?"

_Go away_, he thought dimly. _Just leave me alone_.

"Envy! Come on! Wake up!"

_Knock it off_, he growled mentally. Something was shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

"Envy!" the voice pleaded. It sounded high-pitched and whiny, like a child's voice.

_Wait. My shoulder…?_

Last he'd checked, he didn't have a shoulder. At least not one that would feel like this.

His eyes popped open.

He was lying on the floor, flat on his back. His head hurt, as well as his backside, from the fall he'd taken. The room seemed the same as before, darkly lit by candlelight, but Envy couldn't get a good look around because something was blocking his view. Pride was leaning over him, one hand on his shoulder, his mouth open to call Envy's name again, his face coated with wide-eyed concern.

"Pride?" he croaked in disbelief, surprised for a number of reasons.

_What is _Pride _doing here? Wherever _here _is. He's never gotten involved in the dirty work before; it's too far beneath him. And that expression… I've never seen him look _worried. _And why does he look different? That shouldn't be possible; he doesn't age!_

It shouldn't have been possible, but Pride's dark-haired container did indeed look different from what Envy remembered. Most noticeably, there was a reddish-pink circle in the middle of his forehead. More subtly, he looked younger, though it was hard to pinpoint the exact changes in his appearance that gave that impression. A tad more fat on the cheeks, perhaps. The hair a tiny bit shorter. The eyes a little larger in proportion to the face.

To add to Envy's consternation, as soon as Pride saw that Envy was awake, he heaved a sigh and replaced his look of concern with one of happy relief. _Since when has Pride _ever _been happy to see me_?_ He usually just ignores me. _The oldest Homunculus moved back, lifting his hand from Envy's shoulder and settling on his knees a short distance away, clearly giving his younger brother some breathing room and a chance to look around.

Envy had been right that the room was underground. The floor was of smooth concrete, the walls of hard-packed dirt, the ceiling a tad on the low side. It was hard to tell exactly how large the room was, for the oil lamps did not provide a lot of light, but they clearly illuminated the markings on the floor drawn in white chalk.

It was a transmutation circle. Even Envy, who was not an alchemist and who could only see a few lines intersecting under his body, knew that much. It reminded him of the light that had flared so suddenly and powerfully beneath him, and he remembered too the sickening dizziness that had caused him to fall.

The centre of an unfamiliar transmutation circle is hardly a wise place to be, and Envy made a move to stand, but the dizzying feeling returned along with a horrible pounding in his head. He nearly fell again, but Pride grabbed his arm and half helped, half forced him back down to the floor.

"Hey! You shouldn't be moving yet! Give yourself some time to get used to the body. How do you feel? I hope it worked all right; I was pretty sure it would. Can you feel everything? Wriggle your toes for me."

There were too many words coming too quickly. Envy only groaned and put his head in his hands, hunching over in a vain attempt to block out the noise.

In the next instant, he pulled his hands back and stared at them.

They were _his_ hands.

It was _his_ body.

How the _hell_ was it possible for him to take possession of his own body?

But there was no mistaking it; he was in his favourite form, the form he had chosen for himself more than a century ago. The form he wore whenever there was no need for a disguise, the body he returned to by default. It didn't matter that it wasn't his _true _form; to him, _this_ was his body first, not that ugly green monster that he only assumed out of necessity. The legs stretching in front of him were his legs, the toes were his toes, the arms his arms, the long dark-green hair his hair just as he remembered it. He was young and cute again. Even the clothing was the same: the light and flirty skirt over tight leggings, the cut-off gloves, the sleek tank top that allowed a great view of his lean torso. He could even feel the headband holding his hair back, though it was uncomfortably snug around his forehead with the throbbing behind his eyes.

Envy was still dazed, but more worrisome differences surfaced as he focused his attention inward.

He should have been aware of his true body, tucked into the human form, but that dichotomy was missing. His body was light; he could tell just by sitting on the floor that he didn't weigh very much. His deceptive mass and strength was gone. He had never been able to make those things go away before; only suppress them to some extent. And the throbbing…

Despite the unique abilities that shape-shifting provided and despite being immortal, Envy's true body had possessed more or less a similar biological make-up to every other living creature. The Philosopher's Stone might have been his heart, but that was half metaphorical. He bled, and with blood comes the heart to pump it and the veins and arteries for it to travel. He spoke, and with speech comes the vocal cords, tongue, lungs, and brain to form words. To move, he needed muscles and bones and nerves and who knew what else? If some internal organs were different from other animals, well, the biologists would just have to shove off because Envy didn't plan on being dissected any time soon. The only Homunculus who had not been biologically composed in a similar manner was Pride, whose true form had remained hidden inside his human-shaped container, which (as far as Envy knew) was basically hollow on the inside.

This being the case, having a beating heart was hardly a novel experience for Envy, but the throbbing of his heart behind his eyes _was_. His head hurt. And it wasn't the pain of being injured by something, like a bullet or sword thrust or fire. It was a subtler pain, internal, an annoying pulsing with each heartbeat.

Reaching up, Envy felt the back of his head and winced, surprised to find the area tender. No blood or anything, but still sore.

Where was the Philosopher's Stone's healing? Why wasn't it working? He was in his old body, right, so didn't that mean that his Stone had its power back?

His hand, and the rest of his body, froze as he noticed what was missing.

He couldn't feel the Stone.

He couldn't feel his Philosopher's Stone.

_He didn't have a Stone!_

He must be dreaming. There was no way! It was impossible! The Philosopher's Stone was a Homunculus's life. Without a Stone, they couldn't be alive!

Envy felt around internally in a panic, struggling to sense the Stone even though he knew there was no way he could miss its presence. The Stone always had a strong presence. Resting at the Homunculus's core, pulsing with a firm and deceptively gentle power, the Stone's energy radiated throughout the body, giving life in the same way that air, water, and blood gave a human its life. And further underneath, deep within the Stone yet impossible to miss, came the voices of anguish, the cries of all the human souls that had been sacrificed to create the Stone.

Envy never paid any attention to those voices. Why bother? Despite the qualms the Fullmetal Pipsqueak felt, the souls were just energy. They couldn't think. They couldn't feel. When a human died, the only useful thing it did was leave its body for worm food. At least in the Philosopher's Stone, they served some useful purpose after death. How had he phrased it to Fullmetal? Better to burn the dead log for heat than let it rot away. Better to cut the tree down for firewood than leave it to grow with no purpose. It was easy enough to ignore the cries of the souls. Envy hated the fact that the energy manifested on his body in such a disgusting way, so unlike his siblings. He could somewhat control the faces that writhed on his neck and sides and could force them into silence if he wished, but he would much have preferred that it not be necessary in the first place.

The energy was gone. The souls were gone. There was no Stone. He might as well be empty on the inside, hollow just like Pride.

Dimly, Envy heard voices around him. He didn't care enough to listen to what they were saying. He was only vaguely aware of Pride standing up and leaving his side.

_I'm dead_, the thought echoed in his mind. _ I'm dead, and this is just a dream. But that doesn't make sense; how can a dead person dream? This doesn't make any sense! Argh, concentrate, Envy! Focus! Pride is here, so whatever's going on, he'll be able to explain it. You're a Homunculus, damn it! Get a hold of yourself!_

With a great deal of effort, Envy pulled his attention back to the real world, lifting his gaze from where he had been staring unseeing at his hands and legs to take a second look at wherever he was.

His perusal stopped short. Not ten feet away from him, an unfamiliar human was crouching on the floor, eyes focused on him.

Not expecting to be a centre of attention, Envy blurted out the first thing that came to mind:

"Who the hell are you?"

The person seemed oddly familiar, though Envy was quite certain he had never seen the man before. (Having a good memory when it came to faces was kind of an important skill for a shape-shifter, after all!) Short cropped yellow hair, golden eyes, medium build, light skin, maybe in his early twenties. He was dressed in unassuming civilian clothes that told Envy nothing about the man except that he was probably Amestrian. His face was bright, calm, and gentle.

Far from being offended, the stranger smiled – not a reaction Envy was used to getting when in his own body.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that you wouldn't recognize me. It's me: Alphonse."

Alphonse? Alphonse_ Elric_? That tin-head had his real body back? When had _that_ happened? But there was no reason for Envy to doubt it: the family resemblance was obvious, and Alphonse's voice, though lacking the metallic echo from the suit of armour, definitely sounded the same.

"How are you feeling? We weren't really sure that you would go for your old body, but it looks like it worked out all right."

"What do you mean, go for my old body?" Envy asked, his voice sounding somewhat husky, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. Silently, he resolved that if things didn't start making sense – and _quickly __–_ it might be better to simply give in to his throbbing headache and sink back into unconsciousness. Either that or kill people until things became simpler. But he wasn't quite feeling up to a mad killing spree, so he would save that choice for Plan B.

It was so much more fun to play with people than to kill them, after all. Killing was too easy. And messy. And it wasn't nearly as satisfying to mock a dead person.

"Well, it'll take a bit of time to explain-"

"Damn it, Fullmetal. I know I said there's no such thing as no such thing, but this one takes the cake!"

_I know that voice!_ Envy thought.

There was loud and raucous laughter, followed by a muttered curse.

"Geez, Greed, give it some time before jumping to your feet! You're bound to be weak. Here."

Envy turned his head and stared.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about Greed. He looked the same as the last time Envy had seen him. That prince kid from Xing was certainly less impressive than Greed's first body. A good bit shorter, for one thing. Normal teeth rather than the sharp crocodile grin Greed had had before, for another. Narrower shoulders and the less bulky build of a teenager made him far less intimidating, though Envy had learned firsthand that the boy was no pushover when it came to fighting. Nevertheless, Greed had made due with the new body, probably because he had no choice in the matter and _any _body was better than none. Envy still thought the ponytail was a little funny, but his black clothing was definitely an improvement over the prince's shabby look.

It was Fullmetal that Envy stared at. He was supporting Greed, helping the Homunculus to stand by gripping Greed's arm across his shoulder. Clearly Greed had tried to stand on his own and lost his balance.

Fullmetal was the same height as Greed. No, he was actually taller by a bit. His face had aged. His body had grown. He was not only taller, but bigger as well. His shoulders had broadened. He had passed from a child just entering adolescence into young adulthood.

The change was remarkable. For a second, Envy almost thought that the person was someone else. The Fullmetal Pipsqueak had just aged by, what? Five years? Six? since the last time Envy had seen him!

"What is this? What's going on, Pride?"

Envy's head whipped around at the woman's voice that spoke from somewhere behind him. Alphonse had his body back. Edward had aged by five years. Pride was younger. Nothing should have been impossible, but there was _no way_ that this could be real!

It was Lust.

She didn't exactly look disheveled, at least not physically. As usual, every hair was in its place, forming a wavy black cascade down her back. Her tight black dress, complete with exposed bosom and elbow-high gloves, was spotless. Not a fleck of dirt or unattractive rumple in the fabric marred her look even though she was sitting on the floor. (Envy didn't know how she managed that level of perfection so effortlessly, but it was a skill he didn't have and one he was sorely jealous of.)

Lust didn't look disheveled physically, but the calm poise to which they were all accustomed was missing. Lust's sultry red-purple eyes were wide and surprised. Her normally smooth face was tight, her brows furrowed, and her lips drawn down in irritated confusion.

"But you're dead!" Envy exclaimed.

"Who's the chick?" Greed asked Fullmetal.

"Don't worry," Pride said, kneeling at her side. "Everything's all right."

"That's Lust, your sister," Ed replied to Greed's question.

"What do you mean, dead? And what are _they_ doing here? Where are we?" Lust demanded.

"My sister? Oh yeah; I forgot I had one," Greed said, rubbing his chin.

"Lust!" a panicked voice broke in.

Gluttony stumbled into the commotion. Having never been a graceful person even on a good day, he nearly tripped over Envy in his overjoyed desperation to get to Lust. The green-haired Homunculus cursed and scrambled out of Gluttony's path, but the pudgy simpleton didn't even notice him – or any of the others, in fact. Ignoring all of them, he grabbed Lust around the waist in a teddy-bear hug, burying his face innocently into the front of her dress and blubbering incoherently. Bewildered, Lust struggled to extricate herself for a few moments before giving up and awkwardly placing her hand on Gluttony's head.

"What is it?" she asked, not unkindly, though her tone was stern. "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry, Lust. Envy said I wasn't allowed to eat Mustang, even though I really wanted to."

Envy was too far away to hear the rest of whatever Gluttony said, mumbled as the words were into the front of Lust's dress, and in any event, his attention was distracted by the sudden feel of tremors coming from the ground through his bare feet. Turning, a shadow fell over him and he took an instinctive step back.

Sloth stood there, looming a good head and shoulders over the much smaller Homunculus, hunched by the low ceiling. The great behemoth stared down at Envy apathetically. Emotions or being excited were too much of a bother to him. Completely indifferent to the rising babble of voices, Sloth lethargically added his own.

"…Where am I…? What is… this place?"

"Can we really trust him now, Ed? This _is_ Pride we're talking about-"

"How do you know that? Who are you?"

"The name's Greed."

"I missed you, Lust."

"Greed…? How…? You're betraying us again?!"

"It's okay, Lust. Big Brother and Teacher know all about me now."

"Why are you calling them that? And what do you mean, _all_? How did they find out?"

"That's old news! Where's the bastard?"

"What bastard?"

"Let go of me, Gluttony!"

"Mustang! He's the last thing I remember! Where is he?!"

"I remember him too…"

"Don't try to stop me, Pipsqueak! This time, he's going to pay for what he did!"

"Why can't I remember anything else? What did you mean, Envy? Why did you think I was dead?"

"Isn't it obvious? He must have killed you, babe. Very uncool of him, killing a woman."

"What… a bother…"

"But what about dear old Daddy? Did you do it? Did we win? You better not tell me my sacrifice didn't do any good!"

"We did win, Greed. It was thanks to you that we pulled it off."

"Impossible!"

"It can't be! You're lying! You _can't_ have defeated Father!"

* * *

Alphonse winced at the rising clamour of voices. He was standing apart from the group, on the edge of the transmutation circle. They had known that the Homunculi would be confused. They had known that they would be upset. But this was not what they had hoped for and worse than they had expected.

Sloth appeared unmoved, and Gluttony had yet to release Lust and didn't seem to be paying any attention to the panic around him, but the others… Lust's voice began to rise in pitch as her questions were ignored. Having been the first Homunculus to die, she knew too little to understand anything that was being said; if things proceeded for much longer, she might lose it. Envy's posture, expression, and voice said he was just itching for a fight. No matter how old he actually was, his attitude had been that of a snide teenager, and he was – intentional or not – trying to cover his confusion with frustrated aggression. Greed was taking things very calmly and seemed to have some inkling of what had actually happened, but his calm attitude was terribly inconsiderate to his siblings, who only became more distressed by his nonchalant words. Selim, seeing their reactions, was becoming visibly upset. He had hoped for a happy reunion, and their distress was quickly rubbing off on him.

They had to recover this situation quickly before things got too out of hand.

Alphonse normally did not like to yell, but they wouldn't hear him otherwise.

"Everyone, please calm down!"

They didn't pay attention to him the first time, so Alphonse had to resort to clapping his hands together and pressing them to the ground. The floor momentarily trembled under their feet as he played with the structural arrangement, though it was only enough to make mouths stop as feet braced.

Once everyone became steady again and retained their silence and attention, Al continued.

"I know you're all confused right now. Please, just give us a chance to explain."

He glanced at Ed, who gave a nod to go ahead.

"I'll start with the basics. We're in Ms. Bradley and Selim's home in the South, near Dublith. It's the early summer of 1921. It's been about six years since the Promised Day."

It didn't really surprise him that that was as far as he got before he was interrupted.

Greed gave a low whistle. Envy's mouth fell open in disbelief. Lust gasped and swayed, as if she would have fallen were she not already sitting on the floor.

"Six… _years_? The Promised Day is _over_? It can't be…" she whispered.

"Please believe us," Pride said. "Look; how else could they have aged so much since you last saw them?"

Lust stared first at Ed and then at Al, shaking her head slowly. "But… But I remember… There was still another half a year before-"

"Half a year? It _is_ the Promised Day! Mustang killed you half a year ago, Lust," Envy said. "And he was trying to kill me, too." He paused, face tight and eyes introspective at the memory. "I must have escaped, but I don't remember how-"

"You didn't."

Greed no longer needed Ed's support, and so Ed had removed his arm and moved over to stand beside his brother.

"You didn't escape," Ed said. "You… You died too."

There was a catch in Ed's voice, as if he had changed his mind in what he was going to say. It was small, but Envy noticed it, and he didn't like the way Ed's expression became sombre.

_I died… but I wasn't killed…?_

And then he remembered.

Envy felt the blood drain from his face as the memories and emotions flooded back.

He had always been the most emotional of the Homunculi. He didn't like it, but jealousy was an emotional thing. Lust was normally calm. Greed played it cool most of the time. Wrath kept such a tight rein on his anger that it was downright scary. Sloth didn't _have_ any emotions, Pride was always serious and composed, and Gluttony was too much of a simpleton to experience anything more than the baser emotions.

His siblings had referred to him over the years in many different ways: sensitive, temperamental, quick-tempered, bipolar, emotionally unstable. It certainly didn't help that he flipped out whenever they commented on it. He simply couldn't hide what he was feeling the way they could. Well, that wasn't really true, since he had to put on a constant act while in disguise. It was more like he felt things more strongly than they did.

At least, that was what he told himself as an excuse for what had happened.

Mustang had killed him over and over again and he had been helpless to do anything about it. His tricks hadn't worked. He could have run, but the idea of fleeing from that _human_ – filthy, loathsome man with his filthy friends and his condescension and his meddling and his murder of Lust… The idea was intolerable, and he had to keep them from interfering with Father. By the time he had realized that he really was in danger, that he really was facing the possibility of dying, it was too late. The fire came too fast to run or strike back. He couldn't even hunch over to shield his body from the flames because his flesh was burning away too quickly to move. Near the end, he couldn't even scream, because his throat and tongue couldn't regenerate fast enough to make the sound.

And so he had been reduced to his true form. That in itself was humiliating, to be seen by the humans in such a pathetic and ugly state. And then to be ground under Mustang's boot, mocked, looked down on. To be sure his life was going to end and, forgetting himself in fear, pleading to be spared.

Just that would have been hard to bear had he somehow lived through it. But that hadn't been the end of his humiliation, not by a long shot. Because Hawkeye and Scar and Edward had stayed Mustang's hand. In a sense, they had rescued him.

He was under no illusion as to their intentions. His life had been inconsequential. It was Mustang's revenge that they stood against, not his death.

If he could only make them fight each other, the situation would be salvaged. Even if they just fought over which one of them got to kill him, it would have been bearable, because it would prove once again how stupid and weak and foolish and low humans were.

They wouldn't do it. They refused to rise to his taunts. He knew these people; he knew their weaknesses, their deepest wounds, and he threw everything he could at them, twisting the knife as deeply as he could. And they didn't budge.

And then Edward had said the words that were too much to endure:

"You're jealous of humans."

Envy had never admitted it, even to himself. Jealousy was ugly. It was a lot easier to admit that you were angry, or proud, or lazy, or greedy, or lustful, or gluttonous. People didn't admit to being jealous. They couldn't even see it in themselves when it was quite obvious to everyone around them. It was a game of self-deception. You weren't jealous; you hated a person, scorned and looked down on them, for things that were specific and reasonable. They didn't deserve the things they had. Or the things they had weren't worth anything. _You_ certainly didn't want what they had. Or if you did, it was because _you_ deserved it, not them.

How had Ed seen so clearly what Envy himself had denied for so long? Humans cared about each other. Humans helped each other. They worked together to achieve their goals. They made sure those around them didn't give up or stray. Their lives were defined by their relations to each other more than anything else.

He was jealous of that. He hated humans because they had the friendships that he didn't. And because he was jealous, friendship became the thing he scorned more than anything else.

Manipulate the humans to fight and kill each other. Trick them so that their friendships caused them pain. Then he could look down on them and mock that _he_ certainly never wanted friendship! How could anyone be jealous of friendship; look at what pain it caused!

Killing Hughes had been great, because it was his love for his wife that caused his death. Even knowing that it wasn't her, the fool had been too overcome by the disguise to defend himself. And it had hurt everyone who cared about him, too! Barring what had happened after, Mustang's face had been priceless when he learned the truth of Hughes' murder. It was like killing two birds with one stone! Taunting Marcoh with the threat of his beloved village's destruction had been fun, because it was his compassion for the villagers that would cause even more death in the long run. The conflict between his two choices, both options being impossible to accept, had created such clear anguish on his face. It was delicious! The Ishvalan uprising had been started with the death of one little child, and what horrors that had wrought! One slain life resulting in such pain and anger and hatred and death!

He couldn't bear it. It was too humiliating! Edward had seen through him, had seen Envy's most shameful secret and named it with pity.

It would be unfair, Envy thought, to call what he'd done 'suicide.' After all, he'd been going to die no matter what. He knew it. They knew it. If it hadn't come from his injuries, it would have been by their hands directly. Why not end it himself? He most certainly didn't want to die, but what other choice had there been? The emotions were overwhelming. At least that way, it was up to him. At least that way, he was able to escape on his own terms.

Envy clenched his fists, trembling with the raw emotions. Perhaps six years had gone by, but to him, it had happened only a few minutes ago.

Edward seemed to understand that he wasn't going to get any response from the green-haired Homunculus, and he didn't seem inclined to elaborate for the others. Vaguely, Envy supposed he should be thankful that Ed was sparing his dignity. If the others didn't know what he'd done, he'd just as soon it stayed that way.

He glanced over at Lust to see her reaction to her own death, but it seemed that she was already recovering, regaining some of her lost poise. Rather than shocked, she was beginning to look angry; maybe she was remembering her final moments against Mustang. Wrath had seen her death, but he hadn't divulged any details except that he thought Mustang would make a good sacrifice. Maybe something interesting had happened between them before her end? But then again, who wouldn't be angry at the person who had killed them?

"So," she said coldly, "we were both killed by the Flame Alchemist. And what about you?"

"Me?" Greed grinned. "Daddy did me in himself! Apparently he didn't realize that I might not give up my Stone without a fight."

Lust's expression only grew angrier for a second, but then she looked confused.

"But then… If we were all killed, how are we here?"

"That's what Teacher was explaining," Pride spoke up. "We brought you back."

"Brought us back?" Envy repeated questioningly.

"From death," Ed said.

No one said anything for several seconds. The Homunculi were all too stunned to move.

With the exception of Sloth.

His expression didn't change, of course, so it was impossible to tell if he was actually listening, but he apparently found the conversation boring, because he muttered in his low monotone, "What a bother," and moved to sit down on the floor.

His movement at least broke the silence.

"From the dead?!" Envy gasped.

"Wait. You don't mean human transmutation, do you?" Lust demanded, using Gluttony as a handhold to rise to her feet.

Greed rounded on Ed, half panicked.

"Dumbass! What about the toll?! You don't have enough limbs to pay for all of us!"

Ed chuckled at Greed's concern and held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Calm down. We didn't have to give up any limbs to bring you back. And trust me, Greed: Ling'd probably say otherwise, but your ass isn't worth _that_ much to me!"

Greed started to laugh at the sassy comment, but then a strange look crossed his face.

"Ling? Hey, you dumb prince! Why aren't you saying anything?"

To the others' consternation, Greed seemed to be talking to himself. Even crazier, he looked worried that he wasn't getting any response. From himself.

"What's going on, Ed? Why isn't he answering me? This is Ling's body, isn't it? Where is he?"

"It's just a copy of his body. We figured that's what you'd be most comfortable in, but there was no reason to force you two to share again."

Greed seemed satisfied with Ed's answer, but Lust was getting fed up with not understanding anything, and she raised one hand, pointing her fingers at Edward threateningly.

"Enough of this! Explain what's going on right now before-"

Her words cut off abruptly, and when Envy glanced to the side to see what was wrong, he saw Lust staring with a shocked and horrified expression at her fingers.

It was easy to guess at what was wrong. She was trying to use her Ultimate Spear. And it wasn't working.

"Please calm down!" Alphonse pleaded, doing his best to smooth the situation before it deteriorated again. "It isn't human transmutation, but it will take too long to explain everything right now. It's complicated. Your powers won't work anymore. You're human."

Everyone stared. Greed seemed dumbfounded and shook his head slowly in mild disbelief. Lust continued staring at her fingers, apparently still trying to make them extend, while backing up slowly and sinking down to perch on Gluttony's shoulder. Envy watched the brothers warily, and his expression swiftly shifted from dazed to outraged as he internally did a double-check of his powers. Nothing had changed. There was still no Stone and he wasn't holding onto his present form. He tried to change his arm, but there was no power to grab onto and simply concentrating did nothing.

They really didn't have their powers anymore. They were human.

"Why?" Lust asked. "We're enemies; why did you do this? It doesn't make sense. What could you possibly gain from this?"

Edward opened his mouth to answer, but he never got the chance, for at that moment, Envy lunged.

The former shape-shifter grabbed Ed's shirt collar, half expecting Ed to slug him in the face but too angry to care.

"Human?! We're _human_ now?!" he snarled. "How could you do this?!"

"Brother-"

Alphonse made a move to come to Ed's defence, but Ed held his hand up to stop him. His golden eyes met Envy's purple glare without flinching, though his jaw tightened angrily at the Homunculus's grip.

"Did you think we'd be _grateful_?! Are you waiting for us to _thank_ you?! You're just so high and mighty, aren't you, giving us pity! You damn human! I'd rather be dead than be at your level!"

He was trembling. He couldn't be human. He couldn't be! He couldn't imagine anything more humiliating than that! They were worms! Less than worms! Stupid, weak, sentimental fools! He had spent his entire life looking down on humans, scorning them, mocking them, toying with them…

"And yet you admitted, right before you died, that you were jealous of humans."

Envy froze in shock at Ed's calm words, releasing his collar and taking a step back.

He couldn't deny it. Ed had been there. Ed had seen his death and heard him admit it. He could lie – and he wanted to, with the others watching and listening – but there was little chance that they would believe him over Fullmetal. If he tried to lie, it would only seem more pathetic.

In the next instant, he went back to being livid. If Ed thought that his words would placate him, he was dead wrong.

"So what?" he growled. "So what if I _am_ jealous of humans? I may be jealous of humans, but I never said I wanted to _be_ human!"

Without knowing what else to do, he raised his fist, ready to punch Ed as hard as he could.

His blow didn't land, because although Ed didn't move, Greed did, coming up behind him and grabbing his arm to stop his swing.

"Lay off, Envy! They've given us a second chance at life and you're _blaming_ them?"

Envy rounded on Greed, struggling to free himself from his brother's grasp. Greed's new body didn't look very strong, but he had a steel grip on Envy's arm.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" he shouted fiercely. "You abandoned us! You betrayed us! You may have switched bodies, but you're still the same selfish bastard as before! It's _your_ fault that Father failed! If it weren't for you, we'd be ruling over the humans by now!"

And with those words, Envy tore his arm free from Greed's grasp and swung with everything he had.

Envy was initially disappointed with the blow. Although his new human body was far from weak, when compared to his old form, the punch was pitiful, for there was no real weight behind it. If he were in his old body, he would have added some mass to the swing to really cause some damage, but like this, it was disgustingly unimpressive.

There was _some_ satisfaction, though, in seeing Greed flinch.

Greed was far too cocky for his own good. Knowing himself to be a better fighter than Envy, he hadn't even bothered to dodge and had instead let the punch hit him square in the jaw. His flinch probably wasn't even from the punch itself, for he had a much higher tolerance for pain than Envy did.

No: he was grimacing because he had instinctively tried to raise his Ultimate Shield and was now experiencing its loss firsthand.

Envy expected Greed to retaliate and he fell back, tensing warily. Greed _was _a better fighter (something he could admit to himself, but never in a million years out loud) and neither of them could heal now (he still had a headache – damn it all! – and his fist felt bruised), but at that moment, Envy barely even cared. All he wanted was to cause some pain and take out his frustration and confusion on someone, and if there was one person who deserved it, it was Greed. Granted, this wasn't the same Greed as before. He probably didn't even remember the multitude of taunts and insults they had exchanged over their long lives. Whatever. Even if he didn't have the memories, he was still the same person and regardless of who started it, it had always been easy to pick a fight with him.

To Envy's surprise and annoyance, though, Greed didn't suddenly lunge at him. He certainly looked pissed, but it was hard to say if that was at Envy himself or at the uncommon situation of taking physical damage. He brought a hand up to his jaw irritably before crossing his arms over his chest, glaring down at his brother.

_No_, Envy thought bitterly, gritting his teeth. _Of course the damn bastard is going to act all calm and haughty!_

"You know what? You're right; maybe we _would_ have won if I'd played along with your little games. I don't care. You think it's so wrong that I thought for myself? That I went after what _I_ wanted rather than just blindly following Daddy's orders? He didn't care about any of us! We were just pawns to him. At least _I_ made my own choices!"

Scratch that last thought: It looked like Greed wanted to pick a fight after all. He couldn't have calculated his words to infuriate Envy more. And Envy was willing to bet that Pride and Lust would get in on it too, if Greed was going so far as to attack Father. Envy had always been loyal, but those two were_ uber_ loyal. Insulting Father was tantamount to asking for a quick finger or shadow through the chest.

The impending fight was broken up not by the Elric brothers, as might have been expected, but by Pride.

He darted between Envy and Greed, holding his hands out as if to separate them, while at the same time crying out, "Don't! Please don't fight!"

It was fairly ludicrous to expect the small, dark-haired child to be able to keep the two of them apart and Envy was struck once again by the physical changes Pride had undergone. He only came up to Envy's knees, the mysterious red circle in the middle of his forehead looked like a pimple gone horribly wrong, and his voice had a higher, whinier pitch. But those changes were nothing compared to the difference in his personality.

Pride should not have cared one way or the other whether the two of them fought. He had generally ignored Envy, considering his quick emotions and blatant sadism to be something of an embarrassment to a Homunculus's natural superiority. In his view, a good Homunculus didn't waste their energy on hating humans, for as Father said, they were like insects, and what person hated something so far beneath them? With Greed, the problem had been the opposite, for Greed didn't seem to harbour any negative feelings for humans at all. He knew the Homunculi were superior, but he didn't look down on humans either. He had eventually run away partly because his habit of enjoying human company was becoming too much of a concern for the rest of them to ignore. Pride's loyalty to Father had put him at odds with Greed's primary interest – his own desires – and so the two hadn't gotten along, though they hadn't spent much time in each other's company in any event.

Besides that, it wasn't like him to intervene physically. Since Pride had said that Edward and Alphonse knew his identity, it would have made much more sense for him to use his shadows to keep them apart. The creeping black tentacles were quite effective at restraining a person.

But it was the way Pride spoke – plaintively and with a bit of a whimper – that startled more than his intervention. Pride would never make a request in that way. His habit was to order and demand. As the oldest Homunculus, he commanded respect and obedience as Father's firstborn (though he never once overstepped his authority) and he most certainly did not use the word 'please.'

Envy was still itching for a fight, but the irregularity in Pride's behaviour was enough to distract both he and Greed from their hostilities. Greed quickly took several steps back, holding up his arms as if he expected shadows to suddenly snap out at him, only to make a baffled expression when he saw what Pride was doing.

Envy unintentionally mimicked Greed's expression, and he would have bet money that Lust did the same.

Pride was crying.

Pride _never_ cried.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry! Please don't fight! Don't blame Big Brother and Teacher! It's my fault that you're here. It's my fault that you're human."

Tears were tracing lines down his cheeks. His voice was catching in his throat. He was staring down at the floor as if afraid of their reactions, and the sight was so pathetic that Envy almost – but not quite – felt bad for him.

"I missed you. I was lonely. I have Mother and Teacher and Big Brother, but it… It wasn't the same. I have a family, but they're not… I'm not… I've been surrounded by humans, but I was still alone!"

And really, how could any of them respond to that? It was as if Pride was a totally different person.

Greed sent a questioning glance Edward's way as if to ask whether this was really happening. Envy crossed his arms and frowned pensively, waiting to see how things would play out. Lust stared at Pride and bit her lip, clearly distressed over his behaviour and perhaps struggling internally with those pesky female instincts that pushed a woman to comfort a child. Certainly she was far from compassionate, but then again, she had a rather motherly protective streak when it came to Gluttony, who was watching the scene with only half a mind, one hand clutching her leg possessively.

Once again, it was Sloth who broke the uncomfortable silence.

Out of all of them, the great hulking mountain of a Homunculus was the only one not disturbed in the least by Pride's distress. Whether it was because he didn't notice or didn't care was up for debate, but he gave a deep sigh before rumbling out his opinion on the matter:

"What… a bother... Pride… Can I sleep now?"

Pride looked up at Sloth with something akin to relief at the change in topic, scrubbing at his eyes before giving a childlike smile.

"Of course you can, Sloth! We always made you work. You never got any rest. Well, there's no hole to dig anymore and no one to fight. Now, you can sleep as much as you want!"

And with that declaration, Pride opened his mouth and yawned, swaying where he stood.

"All right, enough of this," Edward said. "It really will take too long to explain everything right now, and _someone_ is up way past his bedtime. Come on, kiddo. I promised Ms. Bradley that we'd make sure you got enough sleep."

Pride gave a brief squeak of protest when Edward promptly picked him up and placed him on his shoulders, but fatigue had apparently swept upon him quite suddenly, for the moment he rested his forehead against the back of Ed's head to avoid the low ceiling, his eyes closed and he dozed off.

Alphonse began to extinguish the oil lamps and Ed turned to the others, beckoning for them to follow him before turning to start up the stairs.

"I'm sure you all have questions, but it's too late to get into it right now. We can't really complain; when you're dealing with a lunar eclipse, you have to expect to be up late!"

Ed began climbing the stairs. The Homunculi remained where they were. Envy and Lust exchanged glances, as if to say, _Should we trust them?_, while Greed kept his eyes on the both of them, worrying that his siblings would choose to attack rather than accept the situation.

Alphonse understood their hesitation.

"I promise, we'll explain everything in the morning. For now, we'll show you to your rooms to let you get some rest and gather your thoughts. Please trust us. There's no reason for us to be enemies anymore."

Sloth was the first to get up and slowly head after Ed, hunching over in the narrow stairway, barely able to fit. The mention of a room and rest was obviously just enough of a motivator to move him.

Greed followed after.

Alphonse picked up the last lit lamp and stood, waiting, for Lust and Envy to make up their minds.

There was really nothing else for them to do. Until they knew more about the position they were in, they might as well go along with the Elrics.

Lust rose from her seat on Gluttony's shoulder and he got up to follow her. With the clicking of her high heels, the soft padding of Envy's bare feet on the floor, and Gluttony's weighty footsteps, the three followed after Alphonse, leaving the basement in darkness.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_1921_: I'm trying to be careful to get my dates consistent. The Promised Day occurred in the spring of 1915, so if six years have gone by, it would be the year 1921. Ed was born in 1899 and Al was born in 1900, so the Elrics are 22 and 21 respectively. In the 2003 anime, Selim has his tenth birthday, so I consider his body's age before the Promised Day to be around ten years old. Now, his body is six years old, so he appears younger.

_Half a year until the Promised Day_: In the dubbed version of Episode 48, Ed says that it hadn't been a full seven months since Lan Fan lost her arm. In the subbed version, he says she's only had her automail for six months. Considering that Lust was killed not long before Lan Fan lost her arm, I figure half a year is a reasonable estimate.

I'm really proud of this opening scene. Please don't be scared off by the length of these first few chapters! Once we get past the introductory segment, chapter lengths will vary considerably, but most will not be this long.


	3. That Which is Lost

Number of words: 7,475

Published date: August 13, 2012

Began chapter: April 8, 2012

Finished chapter: April 22, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 3: That Which is Lost**

The Homunculi trailed after Edward as he led the way through Ms. Bradley and Pride's home, Pride snoozing lightly on his shoulders.

It made sense logistically that if the basement was large, the building would be as well, but it quickly became apparent that the place would more appropriately be labelled a mansion. The basement stairs opened onto a grand foyer. The ceiling was nearly three stories high, with windows on the second story taking up the full breadth of the wall. Stairs on either side of the room lead up to a second floor balcony and several doorways led deeper into the house. Anyone entering by the front doors would surely be awed by the simple grandeur of the place. It had been designed to impress.

Underground, there hadn't been any way for the Homunculi to know what time it was, but as they came up the stairs, they saw that it was obviously night-time. Some lights were on in the sconces on the walls, but it was still possible to see stars glittering through the huge picture windows. The absence of sunlight was already having an effect; as Alphonse yawned politely behind his hand, Envy viciously had to fight down his own yawn. Greed didn't even bother fighting it, cracking his jaw loudly, and Lust blinked eyelids that suddenly felt heavy. It seemed their bodies were trying to establish a circadian rhythm as quickly as possible. They had only been awake for half an hour, and yet they were as tired as if it was three in the morning. Which it was.

The tiredness meant that no one felt inclined to talk. Edward led them through the foyer, past a study with a wall-length bookshelf, through an open living room with a cozy fireplace (unlit, considering what Al had said about it being early summer), up another stairway, and then through a hallway. He stopped at a fairly plain door, opening it and then stepping to the side.

"This room is for you, Sloth. You asked if you could sleep, so…"

Ed trailed off. Sloth didn't need any more explanation. Having heard what he wanted to know, he entered the room without a word, dully glanced around, and then promptly laid down on the bed. In less than ten seconds, he was snoring.

Alphonse quietly closed the door and they continued down the hall.

As they passed a window, Greed came to a sudden halt.

"Whoa. What's up with the moon?"

He crouched down and peered up at the sky through the window. Curious, Envy pushed his way through the others and crouched down beside him, instigating a brief squabble which cut off when Lust and Gluttony crowded in behind them, forcing them to press against the glass.

The moon hung in the sky high overhead, but it didn't look normal. It was full but dim, a dark shade of orangey-red.

"A lunar eclipse," Lust murmured.

Lunar eclipses weren't nearly as rare as solar eclipses. Lust, being near her third century, had seen around two dozen of them, and the number would have been higher if she'd cared enough to stay awake for them. The bottom edge of the moon was starting to brighten, meaning that the eclipse was past its midway point. Soon, the reddish hue caused by the Earth's atmosphere would darken as the white glowing portion inched across the moon's surface, returning it to full.

It was interesting to the Homunculi for all of half a minute. Lunar eclipses usually lasted for a few hours and the movement of the Earth's shadow was quite slow. The idea was novel, but the actual thing was boring to watch.

"Wait," she said, pulling back from the window. "You mentioned the eclipse. Is this somehow a part of… _this_?"

"Yes," Alphonse answered, starting the group back down the hallway after Edward. "We needed the lunar eclipse to bring you back. It wouldn't have worked otherwise."

Edward opened another door.

"This one's for you, Envy."

Envy glowered at him. Pride's crying had calmed him down a little, but he was still inwardly seething over his death, admitted jealousy of humans, and Greed's words. The gesture didn't help matters; for the longest time, the Homunculi had been the ones in control. The fact that _Ed_ was assigning a room to him – rather than _he_ being the one to make the choice – was quite a reversal in their positions of power. It was insulting. It was annoying. He didn't like it.

If the circumstance were more normal, Envy would have objected regardless of the pettiness, but he didn't have the energy. The sweep of emotions and adrenaline had left him feeling pretty drained and, if he was completely honest with himself, he still felt a bit unsteady on his feet. And it was so late at night, he was physically exhausted. So, taking the second best option, Envy went into the room, gave it a brief once-over, and then slammed the door in everyone's faces.

Edward merely shrugged (it seemed the years had done much to temper his hot-headedness), shifted Pride's position on his shoulders (the child had jolted in his sleep at the sudden loud noise), and continued on.

Lust was not happy with Envy's choice, for despite her trust in Pride, she was very suspicious of the way the Homunculi were being separated. There had been no time to caution him that they should stick together without the Elrics hearing, and she couldn't go back now to warn him without some sort of excuse. They couldn't trust Greed. Sloth had only ever been motivated by Father or Pride, and with Pride acting… Lust couldn't even describe what had happened to Pride, but she couldn't be sure about him now. So it was just her, Envy, and Gluttony. And with Envy being Envy, he wouldn't take any warnings seriously. Strategy and caution had never been his strong suits.

"Lust?" Gluttony asked, tugging on her dress.

"What is it?"

"I'm hungry."

Lust was used to this statement from her tubby younger brother, but with her nerves frazzled the way they were, she did not have the patience for Gluttony's appetite. She opened her mouth, quite prepared to tell him that she didn't care that he was hungry and he should just deal with it, but Alphonse beat her to a reply.

"That's fine. There's lots of food in the kitchen. Brother, why don't you take Selim to his room and I'll fix us a snack?"

"Good idea. Greed, you hungry too?"

"Nah, I'm good. Which room's mine?"

"Here, it's further down the hall…"

Their voices trailed off as Alphonse led Lust and Gluttony back the way they had come.

The kitchen was large and clean. There was a round table set into an alcove on one side of the room and a larger table set in the middle. Alphonse immediately went to the refrigerator, obviously hunting for something appropriate for a midnight snack, and Gluttony cheerfully sat down at the table.

Lust joined him without expression, but inside, she felt annoyed. Gluttony was far too trusting. He had no qualms about attacking people when it meant he got to eat them, but he wasn't bloodthirsty and was really quite docile most of the time. Besides that, he was too dimwitted to consider the situation odd. He had Lust back and she did the thinking for him. He would be fed soon. Those things were all that mattered to him. To be suspicious of the Elrics wouldn't have even crossed his mind.

Lust watched Alphonse as she tried to make sense of the situation. The last thing she remembered was trying to kill Hawkeye and Alphonse before Mustang burned her to death.

They had set Barry the Chopper's body free in order to track down the traitor Number 66, who had led an attack on the penitentiary. Why he had done so was a mystery – she suspected that he had met the Flame Alchemist and did it on a whim – but it had allowed Mustang to 'avenge' Hughes' death himself by burning Maria Ross. As much as it didn't really matter, Lust didn't like the fact that Mustang had once again acted against her wishes. He was a difficult man. Setting Ross up as Hughes' murderer had been to keep him from further investigations; to appease him, as it were. She had intended it to keep him out of trouble, but it hadn't gone as planned. In the end, Mustang had his revenge, but Number 66 had needed to be taken care of before he could cause further trouble and maybe reveal too much about the Philosopher's Stones and the Homunculi themselves.

Barry the Chopper's body was supposed to track down its soul and Envy and Gluttony would finish the job of destroying 66. She had sent them off to handle it without a second thought. It wasn't a difficult task, and she had a date with Jean; it wouldn't do to miss it when she was just getting him properly wrapped around her fingers. In a few more days, she felt certain the effort would begin to pay off as he relaxed his guard and confided in her about his work life. This would be their first date since Mustang had burned Ross. Surely he would at least talk about that and maybe reveal something useful! She was tired of trying to decide whether he was a hustler or just plain stupid.

She had waited for Havoc in their usual spot for a full hour before accepting that she'd been stood up. And for all the attention she usually got from men as she walked lusciously through the streets, even the dumber men didn't bother her that day. The cold fury on her face kept them at arm's-length. Stand _her_ up, would he? No man had ever stood _her_ up before! The miserable creature should be flattered that she was even willing to be seen with him! She was usually indifferent to the humans she killed, but she would enjoy killing this one! She had seethed the whole walk back to the 3rd Laboratory.

Lust regained her composure by the time she returned to the Homunculi's hideout. She couldn't let emotions and anger fuel her reaction. There were no acceptable excuses in her case, but Jean might have one that she would need to accept for the sake of the larger picture, so she couldn't set her heart on killing him just yet. So she had waited for Envy and Gluttony to return from their little errand, trying to figure out how she could avoid admitting to Jean's absence when Envy asked about it, as he would very likely tease her when he found out. She could imagine his words: _Lust the Lascivious being stood up? Haha, you old maid! You must be getting on in years! Losing your touch, huh? You wouldn't have that problem if you were half as cute as me!_

Quite frankly, the thought turned her stomach.

Maybe she would have felt differently had she known that she wouldn't see either of them again.

And then the alarm had gone off. Screams and panic drifted down to her. An intruder had broken into the 3rd Laboratory. People were evacuating and the exits were being sealed shut.

No one could be allowed to discover their underground lair. She wasn't usually in the position of guard, but it would be her pleasure to handle it.

She had confronted the intruders in one of the old human experimentation rooms, all cool and calm composure, immensely enjoying the confusion on Jean's face at her presence there. Maybe Envy had the right idea. She didn't often get the chance to toy with humans in quite this way. Hesitating to shoot her, being killed by someone he'd grown fond of would be a fitting end to this fool man. Really, humans were pathetic creatures, blinded by their emotions. At least Mustang had the intelligence to shoot. Not that it did him any good, of course. She revealed her Stone with relish, explaining the secret of the Homunculi's immortality before launching forward to strike them down.

It was disappointing to have to kill a candidate for human sacrifice, but after this, Mustang couldn't be allowed to live. He was too much trouble, and with still half a year to go before the Promised Day, the odds were unacceptably high that he would somehow interfere with their plans.

He was resourceful, she would give him that. She had thought that drenching them in water would prevent him from using his flames, but alchemy was a trickier power than she'd counted on. She had been shot before, but it was the first time she had been incinerated. His attack was a wasted effort; no Homunculi had ever been killed permanently. The Philosopher's Stone wouldn't allow it. Even as they thought they had defeated her, she proved them wrong, sending two of her fingers straight through Jean's back and out the other side.

Mustang's swift seizure of her Stone from right out of her chest had been a bit surprising, but that was futile too. The Stone was her core; her body disintegrated and then grew back around it. She sent her spears through Mustang's side, dropped him to the floor, and tore his glove into little shreds, the fluttering fragments rendering him harmless and helpless.

She left the two of them there to die. It really was a waste. Mustang had merciless eyes, cold and focused. He was human, but he wasn't as weak as most humans. There was no sport in defeating opponents that were no challenge. Of course he couldn't hope to stand against her, but there was something in her that respected him, even as she turned her back and went to hunt down the other intruders.

She found Number 66, Mustang's female subordinate, and Alphonse Elric in the chamber leading deeper into their lair, where other alchemic experiments had been performed. The Philosopher's Stones had been created primarily in the 5th Lab, as it had been closest to the prison, but Laboratory Three had created its fair share of Stones and monsters. The chimeras that guarded the sewers and tunnels underneath Central had been created here. Wrath, the last Homunculus, had been born here as well.

It only took a glance to understand the situation: Number 66 _had_ been working with Mustang! The crazy man had followed his body as it fled back to its home, leading them straight to their hideout. Mustang had tricked them! He had set them up! There was no use in being angry now, but Envy and Gluttony would get an earful when they came back. They were supposed to kill the armoured soul! How had they failed in such a simple task? Disgraceful!

Lust was especially disappointed to see Alphonse Elric. It was bad enough that she'd had to kill one sacrifice candidate, but two in one night? It wasn't as if candidates walked around wearing labels on their foreheads! It was hard to find alchemists who had the necessary skill and spirit to attempt human transmutation. Where would they find replacements? No matter; she would worry about that later. Right now, it was time to focus on the task at hand.

First, she dispatched Number 66 with an indifferent lash of her outstretched fingers. Honestly, he had known the Homunculi ever since they set him to guard Lab 5 and he still thought he could attack her and live? Envy really should be embarrassed that he had messed up on something so easy.

Then she turned her attention to the other two.

Hawkeye's expression was quickly becoming clouded by horror and fury and Lust couldn't help but smirk at her._ Mustang's little pet dog. What will you do without your master?_

She had screamed. In rage, in anguish, she had fired every bullet she had.

It was useless.

This was what Lust hated the most about humans:

Love.

She hated it that they believed in such a concept. There was no such thing as love.

She didn't deny that people formed attachments to one another, for even the Homunculi knew of attachment. She had said as much to Mustang and Jean right before attacking them: they felt affection for their father, the same as any human. They derived a certain feeling of companionship from their siblings. She couldn't deny being fond of Gluttony, of wanting to look out for him, aside from it being one of her many duties. Greed, boiled down and returned to Father's soul, had had the eccentric habit of enjoying human company. Wrath had even taken a wife! True, he had been born a human, and he never used the term 'love' in his reference to her – presenting the woman as the only thing in his life of his own choosing and nothing more – but it was ridiculous to think that he'd made the decision without having some form of attachment to her.

But attachment was not the same as love, the human concept of love, the belief in selflessly wanting the best for another with no consideration of one's own happiness.

_That_ concept of love did not exist.

Humans called it love when they were physically attracted to another, but that was mere biology, chemicals firing in the brain and hormones driving them to spread their genes. Humans called it love when they found a person interesting and wanted to spend time with them, but that was for the person's own pleasure, of sharing their interests with others and forming groups. Humans called it love when they cared about their parents and siblings, but that was a defensive instinct, designed to help humans survive until adulthood.

There was no form of love that was selfless, and this woman was only proving it once again.

If love was selfless, Hawkeye would try to flee even though she didn't want to go on living, because that would be what Mustang wanted. Her anguish came because the man she 'loved' was now torn from her grasp and the pleasure she had derived from him – in whatever form it had come – was gone.

Jean Havoc was far from the first man Lust had used her feminine charms on to manipulate. Many men over the years had claimed to love her, but what did they really love? Her beauty. The status such an attractive woman bestowed on them. The envy others had for their good fortune in her. The flattered pleasure they got from her attention. The comfort of telling their dreams, life story, passions and interests, feelings and thoughts to someone who listened attentively and deigned to care. The fact that they were not alone in life, at least at that moment. The pride in their ability to please her and make her happy.

They always seemed so hurt and betrayed when they realized that they had been manipulated, as if they too weren't playing their own games! They loved her because it made them feel good. It had nothing to do with her.

Envy was sadistic. He liked to cause pain more than he liked outright killing. And he liked causing mental and emotional pain far more than physical. The more a person was liked by others, the more he wanted to hurt them.

Lust wasn't like that. She certainly didn't mind killing, especially when it came to those who had tried to best her, but human nature was something she looked down upon with mingled scorn and pity. Like this woman. She simply collapsed to her knees, bullets spent, arms hanging weakly at her sides, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had given up. She didn't care if she died. All because of her misguided belief in a thing that didn't exist.

It was pathetic and foolish and sad. And even if she did have to kill her, Lust pitied the woman for being so weak.

The armoured boy had stepped forward, preparing to protect the lieutenant and in the process revealing that he _had_ opened the Portal of Truth. Yes, it _was_ a shame that she had to kill him, but being able to transmute without a circle wasn't going to save either of them. Other than Greed's Ultimate Shield, there wasn't a material in the world that her Ultimate Spear couldn't pierce. She slashed his weapon into pieces with ease, stabbed her fingers through his helmet, and sent her other fingers straight for Hawkeye, only to have Alphonse block her with his arm instead.

He yelled at Hawkeye to run. He swore that he would protect her, that he wouldn't let anyone else die when he could protect them.

It made Lust angry. Trying to act selflessly, was he? Who did he think he was kidding? He wanted to protect her because he didn't want to suffer her death. If she died, _he_ would be the one to feel bad. If he let her die when he could have protected her, he would have to endure the guilt and anger of his friends, while acting all gallant would make him feel proud and heroic. Humans always acted in their own interests, even when the end result was pain or death.

Lust's claws tore through his arm and helmet and she prepared to finish this fight before he could spout any more garbage, but the voice that praised Alphonse from behind her caught her off guard. Before she could react, Alphonse raised the floor into a shield and flames engulfed her.

Lust preferred not to remember the rest.

Sitting at the table with Gluttony, watching Alphonse's back as he sliced fruit at the kitchen counter, Lust couldn't understand. Why was she here? If her last act in life had been to try to kill the man in front of her, why had he been involved in bringing her back to life? She couldn't make sense of it. For what purpose had the Elrics done this?

She hadn't realized she was frowning until Alphonse turned around. Edward entered the kitchen at the same time and both boys hesitated before coming to the table, her dark expression cooling their earlier confidence.

_No_, she corrected herself. _They really aren't boys anymore._ They were still too young for her to consider attractive – She might not believe in love, but she had no problem distinguishing between men in the looks department! – but they had matured into manhood and neither of them was bad-looking. Edward, forever being taunted as short, had grown to an acceptably average height fleshed out by broad shoulders. He still wore his golden hair long, but held it back in a ponytail rather than a loose braid. That, and the absence of his glaring red jacket, made him look far less childish. It was harder for Lust to compare the changes Alphonse had gone through since she hadn't seen his body in the flesh, but compared to his brother, Al was a touch taller and a little heavier built. As much as alchemists had a reputation for being book-loving scientists, both of them looked as if they spent a fair amount of time outside in physical labour.

Lust schooled her features to a more neutral expression as Alphonse set a tray of fruit on the table, placing it within Gluttony's reach. Needing no further encouragement, he quickly tucked in. Lust was actually a little hungry too, but Gluttony was ignoring them and didn't seem inclined to share, so she left it to him.

She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair, speaking before either of them could waste her time with inane conversation.

"I don't care how late it is. And I don't care if you'll end up repeating yourselves. Tell me what is going on. What happened to Pride? What happened to Father? Tell me the whole story! Why have you done this?"

Edward intentionally crossed his arms to mimic Lust's own posture, frowning and leaning his chair back onto two legs. She amended her previous thought. Perhaps he hadn't matured all that much. The rebellious streak and belligerent attitude were still lurking underneath, even if he was tamer than in his youth. He probably took issue with the way she phrased the question as a demand.

"You're going to fall again," Alphonse cautioned mildly.

Ed grunted and let the chair back down to all fours.

"I suppose we can give you the short version. Let's see now. What happened after you died…?"

"You came back from that trip with Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong and we fought Scar and Ling captured Gluttony," Alphonse said.

"Oh, right. Well-"

"What do you mean, you captured Gluttony?" Lust interrupted, turning to her brother. "What do they mean, you were captured?"

Gluttony's mouth was full and so he couldn't answer.

Ed waved his hand at her impatiently.

"Do you want to hear the story, or not? If so, don't interrupt."

Lust scowled angrily at his tone and tapped her fingers on her arm as a clear indication that she was both annoyed and waiting, but she remained silent and Ed continued.

"I suppose the first thing that you wouldn't know is that Maria Ross didn't die…"

* * *

And so, for the next hour, Lust heard the whole story.

It wasn't a smooth telling. Edward and Alphonse took turns and they kept interrupting each other, correcting where they thought the other was wrong or adding details that the other had omitted as unimportant. Several times they had to backtrack because they had forgotten a crucial element. And the boys mostly told the story from their perspective. Lust could guess at what the Homunculi were likely doing at the different points in the story, but she would need to question Pride later to learn everything.

Overall, Lust listened with the detached scrutiny of hindsight, but there were a few parts that upset her. She felt incredibly bad for Gluttony, who hadn't been allowed to eat Mustang and who had accidentally swallowed both Edward and Envy (and some prince from Xing, but she hadn't met Ling and he didn't matter). He would have been terribly confused and guilt-ridden, and if Alphonse hadn't tricked him into taking him to see Father, who knew how long the round Homunculus would have sat in that forest wracked by indecision? That Ed and Envy had been able to escape from Gluttony's stomach was nothing short of a miracle; so far as they knew, those unlucky enough to be swallowed whole had a long and slow death ahead of them, with no chance of escape. She didn't like hearing the part about Sloth being driven out of Briggs and left to freeze in the harsh mountain blizzard, though any pain on his part would have been forgotten as soon as he thawed out. She wasn't in the least bit surprised when Alphonse told of the events at Asbec; she and Envy had always gotten along, but that didn't mean she deluded herself as to his abilities. Wrath shouldn't have let him go after Marcoh on his own. He was all talk, but no skill.

Considering that Greed had run away in his first body, it didn't surprise Lust that he would betray them again upon being reborn a second time. The confrontation with Pride and Gluttony was dramatic and horrifying. When Edward told of how Pride had eaten Gluttony, Lust almost got up to confront Pride at that moment, so angry did it make her, but the Elrics convinced her to sit down again. _Selim_, they insisted, _feels horrible about what he did. He knows that it was wrong and it won't do any good to yell at him about it. You're both here, aren't you? He's trying to make up for it now._

Hearing about the events of the Promised Day was upsetting. That the humans had been able to counter the Nationwide Transmutation Circle and Father's control over alchemy in Amestris was difficult to accept, but Lust had to grudgingly admit that she was impressed at the same time. Humans certainly were tenacious creatures. She had only been involved in carving the crests of blood, but she never would have guessed that there could be a way to counter the creation of the Amestrian Philosopher's Stone. At the time of her death, the most likely point of difficulty had been that they wouldn't find the necessary five human sacrifices in time. (She _was_ pleased to hear that Mustang had been the fifth sacrifice. As she hadn't been able to kill him, it was better that he had been of use to them rather than killed in vengeance.) That simple countermeasure sent their plans crumbling into failure.

Father needed the Amestrian Philosopher's Stone to control the power of God gained through the opening of the planet's Portal of Truth. His Stone, containing the souls of the Xerxians, was insufficient for the task.

Lust understood rationally that the humans had been fighting for their lives. It wasn't fair to be upset at them for protecting themselves. But knowing that fact didn't do any good. By the end of their story, Lust was in inner turmoil. Grieved by Father's end, furious at their defeat, humiliated by their failure, she wasn't sure which she wanted to do more: cry, or grab a knife from the cutlery and attack them. But neither action would serve any purpose other than to embarrass her, so she schooled her face to calmness.

"You still haven't explained what we're doing here _now_," Lust spoke crisply when the story ended.

Edward sighed and promptly crossed his arms and placed his head on the table.

"It's four o'clock in the morning! Can't it wait? Al, you explain it and I'm just going to sleep here," his muffled voice came through his arm pillow.

Alphonse gave Ed an exasperated look, but he was about to do as Ed said when Gluttony tugged on Lust's dress again.

"What?" she asked.

Gluttony twiddled his fingers and looked down uneasily. He had long ago finished the fruit Alphonse had brought to the table – and luckily it was a lot neater a food to eat than humans, or her dress would have borne an ugly blood print from his fingers. As it was, he left a bit of sticky juice on her leg. He always forgot to wipe his mouth and hands, no matter how many times she reminded him!

If he had been paying attention to their conversation, she hadn't noticed, but her first reaction was to expect him to ask about something the Elrics had said. So she was a little surprised that his comment had nothing to do with that.

"I feel… funny."

Edward's head jerked up and both boys suddenly looked very alert and concerned. Alphonse scraped his chair as he stood up and came around the table, beckoning for Gluttony to get up. He wasn't quite sure about this and glanced beseechingly at Lust, but she merely gave him a push with her hand and he obediently moved to stand in front of the younger brother.

"Can you describe it?" Alphonse asked gently. At the same time, he brought his hands up, holding them a few inches from Gluttony's stomach.

"We checked for this!" Ed exclaimed. "That second stomach of his _can't_ have come back! There shouldn't be anything wrong."

"What's going on?" Lust asked, worried by their reactions.

Alphonse frowned in concentration. "I'm not sensing anything weird. Gluttony…?"

Gluttony was confused by the commotion, shy at the attention, and hesitant that he had done something wrong. Not being very articulate, he struggled for several moments to come up with the words to explain a sensation he had never experienced before.

"…Maybe… It feels like… Maybe I shouldn't… eat any more food?"

His beady eyes looked positively baffled by the thought.

Edward, Alphonse, and Lust all stared for several seconds before Lust exclaimed, "You're full?!" Ed burst out into laughter and Al looked relieved.

"Of course! You've always been hungry, so you wouldn't know what it feels like to _not_ be hungry!"

Gluttony stuck his finger in his mouth, deep in thought for a full ten seconds, before declaring in agreement, "I'm not hungry!"

He turned and grinned happily at Lust. "I'm not hungry!"

She laughed and let him take her hands. "You're not hungry! But how is that possible?" she asked.

Alphonse returned to his seat, smiling at how happy Gluttony was at this pleasant surprise. Edward also looked pleased, though his head was beginning to drop back down towards the table.

"We tried to create bodies that were as similar as possible to your original bodies, but we couldn't very well do that with Gluttony. He was a failed Portal of Truth; his stomach was literally a bottomless hole, which is why he was always hungry. We couldn't recreate that, so he just has a regular stomach. I'm willing to bet he still has quite an appetite, but he can actually become full now."

"Hear that, big guy?" Ed said, directing his attention to Gluttony. "You won't be able to just eat whatever you want anymore. Which means _no people!_"

Gluttony's happiness died down quite a bit at _that_. They knew he wasn't cruel, but did he have to look quite so disappointed?

Edward took the opportunity to yawn and stretch as he stood up.

"Come on. It's too late for any more explanations. The rest can wait until tomorrow. Or, well, I guess it's already tomorrow. It can wait until this morning, then. I'll show you to your rooms."

Lust had to admit that she didn't think she could stay awake for much longer. Ed's yawn was contagious and she already had too much to think about and digest. Without protest, she got up and followed the Elric brothers out of the kitchen, Gluttony trailing behind her.

* * *

In another part of the house, Sloth snored loudly, sleeping like a rock. Greed didn't snore, but he too was deep in sleep.

Envy, on the other hand, was wide awake despite being exhausted.

After slamming the door in Edward's face (That had been satisfying, though he really wished he'd been able to punch Fullmetal before Greed stopped him.), Envy paced around the room, physically giving vent to his inner agitation.

Being thankful to the Elrics was the farthest thing from his mind. He hated them. He had never hated them before, except in the way that he hated all humans. They were annoying do-gooders who cared more about others than they did about themselves. They were constantly complicating the Homunculi's plans, putting themselves in danger with no thought to the fact that they were important sacrifices. Why couldn't they just be selfish? It would have made things so much easier for both sides!

But now, Envy's annoyance was growing into something more. He paced back and forth with increasing fury.

_How dare they do this!_ he snarled over and over in his mind. _How dare they show us mercy like this! This isn't fair! Don't they remember that _I _was the one responsible for the Ishvalan uprising?! Don't they remember that _I'm _the one who killed Hughes? How can they ignore that? I never said I was sorry for any of it. I'm not sorry! I'd do it again! And they think that we deserve to be given our lives back? Stupid! Weak! Damn sentimental worms!_

He spent several minutes cursing Edward and Alphonse with every insult he could think of. He couldn't forgive this level of compassion. He couldn't accept this seeming forgiveness. They didn't deserve it; _he_ didn't deserve it!

_And they'll probably be expecting gratitude, too! The all-mighty humans, showing mercy to the poor, lowly, misguided Homunculi! I didn't _ask_ to be brought back to life! I didn't _ask_ to be human!_

That thought sent a shiver down his spine and he stopped pacing, standing worn and still in the middle of the room. The window was facing the setting moon and the eclipse sent dim red moonlight across the floor, over his feet, and partway up his leg.

_It can't be true_, he thought desperately. _It can't be true! I can't be human! I just can't!_

He had already tried to transform back in the basement, but maybe he hadn't been able to do it because of how stressful the situation was. He would try again. Yes, that was it! He would calm down and really focus and surely this time it would work!

Envy closed his eyes, brought his awareness to his body, and concentrated.

He searched for even a wisp of the Philosopher's Stone's power, just some tiny tendril to cling to, but found nothing. He searched for his true body, which should have been tucked inside this little human form, but there was nothing more than what a regular human body contained. He focused all of his attention on trying to change just one little thing, but as much as he remembered what his left eye was normally like – what it looked like, what it saw, how it was different internally – it refused to change.

He struggled like that for quite some time before giving up and accepting the truth: he was no longer a shape-shifter. He was no longer free to don whatever face or body the situation called for, no longer free to alter himself however he fancied. He could no longer steal someone else's identity and hide in plain sight.

The idea left him feeling oddly vulnerable. Much like a teenager, hiding behind long bangs or large sweaters, sunglasses or heavy jackets, will feel vulnerable when those items of protection are taken away, so did Envy suddenly feel exposed. He would no longer be able to go wherever he wanted without being noticed. He couldn't just stroll through Central Command dressed in the body of a high-level officer. He couldn't wander through the Ishvalan slums wearing the dark skin and red eyes to blend in. In a common crowd, the features he'd picked as young and cute would stand out like a sore thumb. The body he had now was _him_.

As much as he liked this form, he didn't usually wear it out in public. It was generally easier and wiser to blend in than to stand out. Sure, he wore it when with his siblings or in situations with those who knew what he was, but he was used to donning a military face when dealing with the military and he was used to picking a random civilian face when moving through crowds. Now, everyone would see him and judge him by what they saw.

_Screw them!_ Envy thought, cutting into his own train of thought. _What do I care what humans think of me? I'll still be better than them! It'll just take some getting used to, that's all._

He was startled by the tiny voice that spoke up from the back of his mind.

How_ will you be better than them?_ it asked.

_There's our healing and immortality, _Envy countered himself fiercely. _Even if we don't have any powers, Homunculi are still stronger than humans because of that!_

_That would be true,_ the voice answered, _if you were still immortal. But you're not, are you?_

His heart sank. He looked down at his right fist, the one he had punched Greed with. It still stung faintly. Was there some trick to punching people so that it wouldn't hurt afterwards? Maybe he just hadn't done it right. He reached up and rubbed the back of his head. There was a small lump and the area was tender. He reached behind and felt at his backside. There was a spot that felt sore from where he had fallen. It was probably already bruising.

_Maybe… Maybe… _He struggled to think of a way to deny it. _Maybe it's just not as effective now. Maybe some things will heal and others won't. I mean, these aren't even bleeding, so of course they won't heal!_

It was a slim and desperate chance, but Envy had to make sure. He began to scan the room frantically, looking for something that would work.

It was actually a nice room. Those Homunculi who had spent the majority of their time underneath Central had naturally created their own spaces, finding a few nice things for comfort and hominess, but it wasn't exactly easy to drag luxurious beds and plush chairs through one of the sewer entrances and there were too many people around in the laboratories and Central Command to make a habit of it. Their lair hadn't been designed with the convenience of its inhabitants in mind. The bed Envy had had was one he had brought down nearly fifty years ago and it had been left in pretty rough shape, but he hadn't found the time or inclination to replace it.

There was a simple bed in the middle of the room with white sheets and posts up to the ceiling. There was a large red chair, a little bedside dresser with a lamp, and a larger dresser in one of the corners. The window had a door and a small balcony. There was a framed painting of a castle on the wall, and the floor was covered with red carpet. Envy preferred the cool feel of stone, but the carpet was nice and soft beneath his bare feet. It was trimmed with gold, and a line of gold trim ran along the bottom and top of the walls as well. The room had an intimate and somewhat heavy feel, what with its predominant red colours and the dark brown of the drawers. Other than the painting, the room had no decorations.

There was a desk between the bed and the wall with the window and Envy rooted through its contents. Everything was neat and tidy: a sheaf of blank paper in one drawer and writing utensils in the other. Envy thought he recognized Pride's hand in preparing the room. Pride had always been a little obsessive about keeping things orderly, and although Al was probably a neat person as well, he got the sense that the younger Elric would have found it presumptuous to prepare Envy's room when the two hardly knew each other. Fullmetal wouldn't have cared about that, but he wasn't the organized type.

Reaching past the pens, Envy found what he was looking for: a pair of scissors.

Envy started to sit down on the bed, but then realized that it was too dark for him to see what he planned to do. He went to the window and peered up, craning his neck to study the moon. The earth's shadow had moved into the upper right-hand corner and lost its red tinge, while the lower left was brightening. He gave it another hour before the eclipse was over, but for now, he needed more light, so he fumbled at the lamp before finding the switch and then blinked in annoyance at the sudden glare that lit the room. Then he returned to the bed and sat cross-legged with the scissors in his hand.

He had to make sure! Maybe the bruises he had wouldn't heal for whatever reason, but what if he was cut? Surely that would still heal, wouldn't it? He couldn't really be mortal now, could he?

He brought his left hand up to his mouth and used his teeth to pull off the black glove, then pressed the scissor blade against the back of his hand.

He realized he was holding his breath and growled at himself irritably.

_Oh, come on! It's not like this will even hurt all that much!_

Gritting his teeth, he drew the blade down and across his hand. The shallow cut quickly started bleeding.

Envy waited with bated breath for it to heal, for the familiar red light to crackle over the injury and restore it to good as new.

Nothing.

He sighed miserably, groped for the lamp again, and then sank backwards so that he was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He brought the cut up to his mouth, sucking at the blood absently with the sarcastic realization that he shouldn't have made such a large gash.

_It's true_, he thought. _I really am human now. I hate humans and now I _am_ human._

The hour and emotions and stress of the day were finally taking their toll. The bed was soft and Envy could feel himself beginning to fall asleep. Before succumbing and joining the others in the realm of dreams, he clung to one thought:

_These aren't tears! My eyes are just watering from the lamplight. That's all it is! Yeah… I'm not… crying…_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Selim and Ms. Bradley's home_: I've chosen to use Dante's mansion (from the 2003 series) as Selim and Ms. Bradley's home. For those who haven't seen the first series, Dante is an old woman who lives in a mansion deep in the woods outside Dublith. She practices alchemy and herbology and was Izumi Curtis's alchemy teacher. I've tried to replicate the mansion's details to match how it appears in the anime (though the mansion gets so little attention in the anime that even those familiar with it probably won't recognize a room by my description). In my version, Dante never lived there, and the property was bought by the military for Ms. Bradley and her son to live. I didn't want to create a completely new place for them and Dante's mansion, which is secluded, large, and near Dublith, fit my needs quite nicely.

_Barry the Chopper, Envy, and Gluttony_: These events during episodes 18 and 19 regarding Envy and Gluttony are not from my imagination, for this gets more detail in the manga. In the anime, we only see Gluttony attack Hawkeye while Havoc is fighting Barry's body. In the manga, Envy and Gluttony appear together and are delayed in a fight with Ling and Lan Fan while Mustang's group breaks into the Third Laboratory.

_Gluttony's stomach_: In case it wasn't clear, Alphonse was using his skills in alkahestry to sense Gluttony's chi in checking to see if something was wrong. His skills in alkahestry get more mention later.


	4. The First Day

Number of words: 12,222

Published date: August 19, 2012

Began chapter: April 23, 2012

Finished chapter: July 26, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 4: The First Day**

The next morning was a glorious one, though it came all too quickly for the mansion's inhabitants.

Birds started their singing just as dawn's light began to tinge the sky, slowly overpowering the stars so that one by one they faded away. The moon, full now that the lunar eclipse was over, brushed the tops of the trees in the west as it sank. Sunrise came slowly and majestically, the summer sun inching over the horizon without a single cloud to mar its proud ascent. The morning dew glittered like fallen stars, the surrounding forest's shadows stretched and moved with the sun's rising, and the garden flowers began to stir, unfurling their petals in eager anticipation of basking in the heat of summer's day.

As sappy as it was, the morning perfectly suited Greed's mood.

He knew that he hadn't gotten enough sleep, but his bedroom window was facing the east and once the sunlight woke him up, he hadn't felt like going back to sleep. So he had gotten up, wandered around the mansion for a bit, and then settled on the balcony above the front doors.

Greed couldn't remember if he had favoured heights so much in his past life or if Ling's habit had rubbed off on him, but either way, he loved the view.

The mansion was surrounded by forest and at ground level it would be nearly impossible to see anything of the area because of the dense trees, but from the balcony, Greed could see quite a long distance. The land appeared to roll down to the east and rise in the west and the estate sat somewhere on the side of the… _Is this a mountain, or a hill?_ Greed wasn't sure what the difference was and decided that it was somewhere in between.

Squinting against the sun, he could just spy a large blue lake with a little island in the middle, and not too far away from the lake, he could see the edges of a substantial town. The forest thinned beyond the town and changed to rolling fields. Something moving away from the town caught his eyes and after a minute of staring, he made out the telltale smoke and winding snake-like form of a train heading for its next destination.

Greed knew he should stick around for at least a few days, but he wanted to be on that train _now_!

How long would it take him to get to Xing, even taking the train? How would he cross the desert? Bah, the details didn't matter; he'd figure it out later! What mattered was seeing Ling again.

Had Ling done it? Had the Philosopher's Stone worked? Had he become emperor? He was still a kid, but then, his partner had been a strong and determined kid. Greed had left him knowing that he could succeed. If six years had gone by, there was no doubt in his mind that Ling was now the ruler of a country, and as much as "ruler of the world" had a nicer ring to it, it still wasn't too shabby.

Ling had been so determined to keep clinging to him even as Daddy ripped at his Stone, trying to tear him from Ling's body. Of course he had lied to make Ling let go! The damn fool would have been sucked up too if he'd continued to stubbornly hold on. He would have become just one more soul in Daddy's Stone! Even after his disrespectful attitude, the Homunculus couldn't deny that Ling had been a good partner. No, more than that: He had been a good friend. As much as Greed didn't like sappy sentimentalism – it detracted from his cool image – it had been pretty touching to see the tears in Ling's eyes as Greed died.

The other Homunculi wouldn't understand. They didn't have friends. They claimed not to need them or want them. Greed knew that even more painful than dying was the pain of watching your friends die. He didn't remember much of his 'first' life, but he remembered that much. His friends had all been killed and even with his Ultimate Shield and healing, he hadn't been able to save them. Hell, he hadn't even been able to save himself! He was glad that he had been able to help Edward defeat his father, but it pained him that he'd had to die to do it. Not because he didn't want to die (though that was quite true too!), but because of the pain it caused Ling and Ed to lose their friend and not be able to do anything to save him.

Did Ling even know that Greed was alive? Had the Elrics been able to tell him? It ticked him off to think that Ling had in all likelihood gotten over his death. If six years had gone by, he'd probably forgotten about Greed by now. _Damn punk! He'd better not have forgotten me!_ _Maybe he'll be in for a surprise when I show up. Hahaha, I hope he doesn't know that I'm back! His face'd be priceless!_

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard movement behind him. Turning from where he had been leaning on the balcony rails, he found Pride opening the door, rubbing his eyes and blinking at the bright light.

"Good morning, Greed," he said while covering a yawn.

As much as Ed had acted as if Pride was no longer a threat, Greed had a hard time swallowing it. It was hard to forget the feel of Pride's shadows twisting around his body and snapping at his neck and arms. He looked small and innocent, but Greed didn't let that fool him; Pride had looked small and innocent back then, too, smiling childishly as he tried to kill them. Appearance meant nothing.

He hoped Ed knew what he was talking about, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious. He watched Pride approach with a tense wariness.

Pride could tell right away that Greed was distrustful of him. His face fell instantly into a hurt expression.

"You don't need to be worried. I'm not going to attack you or anything."

"You can say that, but words are cheap, Pride," Greed replied sarcastically, leaning his back against the railing and crossing his arms over his chest.

He was surprised by the flash of irritation that crossed Pride's face, quickly replaced by a look of… meekness? Acceptance? It didn't suit him at all.

The little boy hesitated for a moment and then joined Greed at the railing, though leaving a respectful distance between them.

"Big Brother and Teacher will tell you as well," he said. "I _can't _attack you. I'm not Pride anymore. I don't have any of my powers. I am exactly what I look like: a human child."

"Yeah? And how did that happen?" Greed asked, watching him and freely studying the same changes in his appearance that Envy had noticed the previous night.

"Edward did it," he replied. "Right after you and the others headed to the surface after Father. I thought that I could use Edward's body as a new container, but he reversed my attack and reduced me to this powerless state."

He admitted it so freely and without embarrassment that Greed was surprised. Pride was not one to admit defeat, but he spoke without anger or bitterness. It most definitely was not in character.

"I know we didn't exactly see eye to eye in the past-"

Greed snorted at the obvious truth in that statement.

"-but now I know that you were right."

"Oh?"

Pride nodded solemnly.

"Big Brother said I was just mindlessly following Father's orders. You were the only one of us who made his own choices. We just wanted Father's goal to succeed. You went after the things that _you_ wanted."

Pride's eyes looked out at the surrounding countryside without actually seeing it. His voice and expression were pensive.

"I've been living like this with Mother for six years now, and I'm beginning to understand why you never disparaged humans. Even after Mother found out what I was, she didn't abandon me. Humans are a lot stronger than we gave them credit for.

"Edward chose not to kill me, so I've kind of been given a second chance at life. I'm trying to embrace humanity, so I thought everyone else might be able to, too, but… after your reactions last night…"

"All right! Don't get upset again! Seeing you cry is just plain weird!" Greed pleaded, waving his hands placatingly. "I believe you! You're definitely different!"

Pride blinked fiercely a few times, scowling at himself rather than at Greed. He wasn't normally so prone to crying, but the days _had_ been rather emotional.

"I don't want you to hate me just because I've forced you to become human. I just couldn't bear living all alone, even with Mother and Big Brother and Teacher," he explained weakly.

Greed sighed.

"Look, kid, I don't hate you. Whatever your reasons were, I've got a second chance at life. I can't hate you for that. And as for being human… Well, it'll take some getting used to, sure, but I'll adapt. We all will."

Pride looked up hopefully.

"Even the others?"

Greed scratched his chin thoughtfully before shrugging.

"Dunno. Sloth and Gluttony probably won't care, but Envy did seem pretty pissed…"

_Oops_, he realized at seeing Pride's crestfallen expression. _This is hard! I'm not used to dealing with kids!_

"I'm sure he'll get over it eventually!" he hastened to reassure the boy. "And look: even if no one else appreciates this, I do, okay?"

Pride's face lit right up. The sudden changes were disconcerting for Greed, for the Pride he knew had been self-controlled and rather cold.

"Really? You really mean that?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I do. I can't wait to see Ling again. How long do I got to stick around before-"

"Thanks, Greed!" Pride gave a happy squeal and darted forward, hugging his brother's legs since that was as high as he could reach. Then he let go, spun around, and ran to the door. "I bet Teacher is up by now, so we'd better get started on breakfast!" He vanished inside. It was over before Greed could even decide how to react. He stared after his eldest brother in shock before the word 'breakfast' sank in and his stomach rumbled hungrily. He followed after Pride wearing a slightly bemused expression.

The most intimidating and powerful Homunculus had just _hugged_ him.

Maybe he _should_ stick around, just to see in what other ways Pride had changed!

* * *

'Teacher' was indeed up and about when Greed entered the kitchen, already pulling bowls out of a cupboard as he discussed with Pride what they should make for breakfast. Actually, it was more accurate to say that he was merely listening, for Pride was babbling away without giving Alphonse much chance to get a word in edgewise.

"…but I don't think we have enough eggs to make omelettes for everyone. Oh! We have the ingredients for pancakes. That'd be good! And we have some fruit that we could put on top of them! And what about whipped cream? I don't think we have any… but we can make some from the milk, so that'd be…"

"Good morning," Alphonse greeted as Greed stepped into the room. "Did you sleep well?"

"Huh? Yeah, just fine," Greed replied absently, still keeping his eyes on Pride as he crossed to the table in the alcove and sat down.

"…about syrup? We can make that with sugar and water. Let's see, what's in sugar again? Um… Hydrogen, calcium, and… oxygen, so I'll need a triple-binary array with…"

"Is he normally this chatty?" Greed asked.

Alphonse chuckled as he set a dish of sugar on the kitchen table, adding to a quickly growing pile of ingredients.

"No, not all the time. He's just excited to see everyone again. It's been more than a year since we realized it was possible to bring you all back. It's a long time for a child to wait."

Greed snorted at that comment.

"Maybe if he were the age he looks like! He's, what, probably a couple hundred years old by now. A year's not that big of a deal."

"I suppose that's true…"

"Hey! I _can_ hear you two! Don't talk about me as if I'm not here!"

"Sorry, Selim," Alphonse said. "Is there anything you want me to do, or can you handle it all by yourself?"

Selim had the good grace to look embarrassed when he realized that he had completely taken charge of making breakfast, but he still waved aside Al's offer to help.

"I've got it. I kind of want to make everyone's first breakfast myself, if that's okay."

Alphonse nodded agreeably and joined Greed at the other table, watching as Selim measured flour into a bowl while sipping absently at a cup of coffee.

After a few minutes of industrious silence, Greed leaned back impatiently on the bench, his stomach rumbling hungrily. This was boring. He let his gaze wander around the kitchen with disinterest. A few pots and pans hung from a rack on the wall over one of the counters. The alcove table bore a small vase of bright yellow flowers. A red brick chimney connected to an old-fashioned wood stove. The tables were painted a light blue, the cupboards were brown, and the walls were a pale creamy colour. A back door led outside and, glancing out the alcove windows, Greed supposed it led to a garden, judging by the white fence just visible from the corner of his view. An entryway on the other side of the room opened onto a large dining room, which was good because Greed doubted all of them would fit in the kitchen at once. With all of the things piled on the table and Selim darting busily around the room, it was already beginning to feel a little crowded even with just the three of them.

One thing did catch Greed's eyes, though. The refrigerator was boring old white, but its front was covered in colourful papers. He could barely tell what the drawings were supposed to be. They looked like a child's random scribblings. Pride wasn't honestly going to claim that _he'd_ done those, was he?

Shifting his attention from the room to the young man sitting across from him, Greed tried to study Alphonse without being too blatant about it. Like Envy, he hadn't doubted even for a second that Alphonse was who he said he was, but since Greed had only known him as a soul-possessed suit of armour, it felt weird to see him now with an actual body.

It was comforting to see that the boys had succeeded in getting their bodies back. Sure, defeating Father and saving Amestris had trumped in priority, but they had still managed to reach their own goal as well. Maybe it was a little silly, but Greed found it nice just to see Al drinking his coffee. Even something that ordinary had been impossible for him before. And as much as he personally felt that _not_ needing to eat or sleep or breathe or grow old was a far better arrangement, Al had wanted his body back and far be it for Greed to stand in the way of someone pursuing what they wanted. So long as they didn't interfere with his own desires, of course!

"I have Brother to thank for this," Alphonse said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You were wondering how I got my body back, right?"

Greed gave a small chuckle. _And here I was trying to be discreet about it! Sharp kid, that's for sure._

"Be lying if I said I wasn't curious."

Alphonse smiled lightly at the flippant tone and moved his empty cup to the side, folding his hands on the table in the manner of someone settling down to tell a story. His face bore a somewhat solemn look and, judging by the expression, Greed might have thought that they'd had to do something drastic if he weren't certain that the Elric brothers wouldn't have done something "wrong" just to get their bodies back.

"Brother told me that the fight didn't last long after your sacrifice. I wasn't there, so I didn't see, but with the help of your carbonizing ability, Ed was able to land a blow that freed the remaining Xerxian souls." Al spoke softly; not as if Pride didn't know the story, but as if he didn't want Pride to hear and be reminded of the past. "Without his Philosopher's Stone, your father was pulled from this world. We can't know for sure, but Ed says it looked like the hands of Truth were what grabbed him.

"To bring me back from the Portal of Truth, Brother gave up his own Portal. He can't use alchemy anymore. It was… an Equivalent Exchange."

Hard blow. No wonder Al looked so serious about it. Losing the ability to perform alchemy was probably like… Hmm, it was probably like losing his own Ultimate Shield, Greed thought wryly. _That makes Fullmetal just an ordinary human. _Too bad; he'd been a good fighter with his alchemy. Not that he couldn't be a good fighter without it – just look at Ling! – but it was still quite the loss. Al probably blamed himself for his brother's sacrifice, but with six years, hopefully he'd had enough time to get over the guilt.

"…That sucks," he said after an awkward pause.

Really, what else could he say on the matter?

The kitchen lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Thankfully, it didn't last very long.

Pride was leaning over the other table. Greed couldn't see what he was doing since his back was in the way. It looked like he was nearly ready to start making whatever it was they were having for breakfast; the dry ingredients had been measured into a few bowls, and the milk, oil, and eggs were sitting to the side, ready to be added. Greed's stomach rumbled again and he wondered irritably what the little brat was wasting his time on.

After a few moments, his curiosity was answered. Pride straightened from his work and came over to their table with a sheet of paper in his hands.

"Teacher, this is the proper formula, right?"

He laid the paper on the table for Alphonse to look at, and Greed was surprised to see a transmutation circle.

"I wasn't sure if I should incorporate the symbol for actual calcination or if just the heptagram and synthesis combination would be sufficient…"

_Uh… Wha-…? Was that even English?_

"No, that's right if it's just for the batter. You'd have to modify for calcination if you planned on cooking them with alchemy too, but food cooked that way never tastes as good."

"Okay."

"And you could have substituted for the equilateral cross here," Alphonse tapped a finger on the paper in demonstration, "since the ingredients don't need to be broken down into their separate elements first."

…_Umm… Say what?_

"Mmm, yeah. That makes sense."

The exchange went completely over Greed's head. Pride skipped back to the table, placed the sheet down on its surface, rearranged the ingredients so that they were on top of the transmutation circle, and placed his hands on its edge. In the next moment, the circle lit up with a crackling blue light and the bowls of ingredients quickly emptied while the empty bowl in the middle filled.

Then, as if the transmutation were no big deal, Pride picked up the bowl of pancake batter and moved to the stove, pulling out a small stool from under the table to stand on since he was too short to work at the stove without it.

Alphonse took one look at Greed's face and began to laugh, and Pride looked puzzled when he turned to catch a glimpse of them over his shoulder.

"What's the matter, Greed?"

"You're using alchemy!"

"So?" Pride cocked his head to the side as if confused by the statement. "Do you think it's weird that I'm using alchemy for this? They do say that alchemy was born in the kitchen…"

"That's not the point! Since when have you been able to use alchemy? I didn't know we could even _do _that!"

Now Pride was definitely confused. "Why wouldn't we be able to use alchemy?"

"Because, uh…." Greed was left floundering for a reason. He'd never given it any thought, honestly. He'd just assumed that they couldn't use the technique since none of them _had_. "Damned if I know," he admitted lamely.

"We have souls too, even if they're not identical to humans'. That's really all you need to do it," Pride said. "Big Brother and Teacher have been teaching me for, um…"

"About three years now," Alphonse supplied.

"Has it really been that long already?" Pride exclaimed. "It doesn't feel like it's been that long at all." He returned his attention to the stove, pouring batter into an awkwardly heavy cast-iron frying pan as he spoke. "I'm their first apprentice! Big Brother and Teacher are working on a completely new form of alchemy. It combines Amestrian alchemy, Xingese alkahestry, and the alchemy used in Creta too. Mostly they just use the same alchemy as here, but they do some really weird things with three-dimensional transmutation arrays! And then there's the whole-"

"I really don't care, kid," Greed interrupted. "But since you've mentioned Xing, tell me about Ling. How is he? Surely he's emperor by now, right?"

Pride sniffed haughtily at being so rudely cut off and turned back to the stove, his back making it quite clear that Alphonse would have to handle answering the question.

"Yes, Ling is emperor now. He returned to Xing with the Philosopher's Stone just in time to appease the previous emperor before he passed away. He's been working hard on uniting all of the clans and to build relations with the neighbouring countries."

"Then, I can head out right away-"

Alphonse shook his head. "I'm sorry, Greed, but it's not that simple. I know you want to see him, but you can't just take off. You need to stay here for at least a few months. Until we can be sure the transmutation was successful. If you went to Xing now and something happened, there'd be no way for us – or Ling – to help you."

Greed scowled and rubbed his chin pensively.

"A few months, huh? I guess that's not _so_ bad-"

"We also have to consider how to get you _into_ Xing. There's a new railway across the desert that connects Amestris and Xing, but the military has recently become more concerned about security on the trains. Crossing the desert really discouraged people from illegally entering or leaving the country, and with the train now making it so easy to travel between the two, there's been a lot more cross-border crime. Smuggling, kidnapping, criminals fleeing their own country's police, gangs… We can't get you a passport because we can't let the government or military know that you're alive. And it's too risky to take the train for the same reason."

"So then we'll just have to cross the desert on foot, right? What's the big deal?"

"Again, it's not as easy as you think. The best way is to find a smuggler to use as a guide, but with the military crackdown at the borders, it's become harder to get out of the country without someone knowing. And there are fewer smugglers using the desert route because transporting merchandise is a lot easier by train. More risk that you'll be caught, but less risk to your life making the trek across. And although we could try to cross on our own, it's really dangerous to make the crossing if you're not familiar with it. Miss an oasis or eat the wrong type of cactus and you won't be leaving the desert alive."

Greed leaned back on the bench and crossed his arms, frowning at the pessimistic news, but Alphonse wasn't finished.

"And because it's Xing, we'll also need to be worried about your aura."

"My… aura?" Greed repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Alphonse nodded. "Alkahestry is harder to learn than alchemy, but a lot of people in Xing can detect the chi of living beings even without being alkahestrists."

"I don't know what you're- Oh, wait. Are you talking about how Ling and the others were able to detect our presence even in the dark?"

"That's right," Alphonse said. "The Xingese teach that all living things have a life force, or 'chi'. And by training the senses, one can learn to sense that chi in others. What Ling and the others sensed was the Philosopher's Stone. To them, it felt like a large number of lives all concentrated into one body. The Stone's presence was like a beacon to them that easily identified a Homunculus even from far away."

Alphonse paused then and stared at Greed for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"The feeling from you now is much more subtle, so maybe it won't be a problem. But there _is_ something… different… in you when compared to other humans. It'll probably be the same with the others as well. I'm sure it has to do with your soul not being in your body-"

Greed blinked in surprise and couldn't help himself from interrupting.

"Wait. So you can sense this "chi" thing too now? And what do you mean my soul's not in my body? How the hell's that possible?"

Al opened his mouth to reply, but Pride beat him to it, piping up in a somewhat indignant tone, as if offended on his mentor's behalf and determined to defend his reputation as an alchemy expert.

"Of course Teacher can sense chi now! He's the first Amestrian to ever learn alkahestry! He's spent three years in Xing learning from the best alkahestrists."

"Uh, Selim…"

"And as for the soul business," Pride continued, wagging his finger at Greed as if their roles were reversed and Greed was the child, "you'll just have to wait until the others can hear too. Otherwise we'll just be repeating ourselves."

"The pancakes…"

"Huh? Oh no!"

Pride wheeled back to the stove, fumbled and dropped the spatula, and then fell off the stool as he reached down to pick the utensil up from the floor. His tumble was accompanied by the crash of several bowls from off the counter (which he'd grabbed at in an attempt to catch his balance), his yelp of surprise, and the two males hurrying up to help him. The kitchen quickly filled with noise and burnt pancake smoke.

* * *

Her room, Lust discovered, was apparently closest to the kitchen. Although she hadn't exactly been sleeping, the yelling and clattering of dishes that drifted down the hallway and through the walls and door to where she lay on the bed made it impossible for her to hope or pretend that she might fall back asleep.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been lying there, staring at the ceiling. It might have been minutes or hours. All she knew was that she had fallen asleep too tired to even think properly about what the Elric brothers had told her, and now her mind was trying to make up for it by churning wildly, repeating the implications in a random and compulsive manner.

_Father is gone. Dead. We failed. The plan failed. Everything we worked for is gone._

It felt surreal, like a bad dream. She had never dreamed before, but if it weren't for that fact, she might have convinced herself that it all really had been a dream, and that she had simply found an empty (and very nice) room to sleep in because it was too late to return home to the underground hideout. Maybe she had been flirting with some poor drunk man who had offered her his bed for the night. Then the only question would be, had he insisted on being in that bed at the same time? And had she humoured him, or killed him for being too pushy when she wasn't in the mood?

But Homunculi didn't dream. Her memories were real. She had most definitely died at Mustang's hands, and she was most definitely alive now. Which meant that everything that had happened last night was true as well, including the Elrics' story.

She frowned at the ceiling, trying to arrange her thoughts into some semblance of order. She was the second eldest, the big sister of the family. She had to maintain her composure, to think about this rationally and take care of her younger brothers. Gluttony and Sloth couldn't think for themselves, and Envy didn't have a shred of common sense. It was up to her to be smart about this.

_Father is gone._ No matter how painful that was to think about, it could not be changed. No sense in dwelling on it, at least not now.

_The plan failed, but we're all alive. Everything we worked for is gone, but we are not._

That point shouldn't have mattered as much as it did. It seemed incredibly sentimental to suggest that, as long as her family was still alive, all was not lost, but she couldn't dismiss the feeling. They were all a part of Father. The plan might have been thwarted, but as long as even one of them lived, they weren't defeated.

_The Elrics did not explain why _they_ helped to bring us back, but Pride said that he missed us._

This point made Lust pause. What did it mean that Pride had missed them? Out of all of them, he had been the Homunculus least interested in spending time with his 'family'. Even Sloth apparently became lonely, for Lust remembered a few instances where he had stopped digging, not out of boredom, tiredness, or laziness, but because he had wanted company. Or at least that was what Pride reported later after checking up on the huge man with his shadows, and in the nearly two hundred years of his digging, roughly once every decade Sloth would mention one of his siblings' names to Pride, which they interpreted as a request for a visit. To keep him digging, it was a small request to grant.

But Pride… He had never, in Lust's memory, shown any signs of wanting company. He had held himself aloof from the others, giving commands as if _he_ was the one in charge, using his shadows at times only to show off, exaggerating his superiority, and all the while carefully guarding his identity by remaining uninvolved in the actual execution of the plan.

_He's never really been alone, though_, Lust realized suddenly. _Not the way Sloth was. And even though he held himself apart, he never really isolated himself from the rest of us. He pretended to ignore us, but what if that was just his arrogance?_

Was it possible that Pride had been faking indifference to his siblings' company? Lust didn't know of any reason why that couldn't be true. And with all of them dead, he'd been forced to experience loneliness for the first time.

_But if that's the case, _she pondered thoughtfully, _why his lack of arrogance now? Shouldn't he be too proud to admit that he missed us, whether it's true or not? Something has happened; something has changed him, but what…?_

It was impossible for her to know. Six years was a very short period of time, but anything could have happened to him. For all she knew, being reduced to his true form at Edward's hand and having his Philosopher's Stone nearly destroyed could easily have done something to his personality.

In any event, there was no use in speculating on it now. All Lust could be sure of was that Pride was different. The totality of that difference had yet to be seen. And though she didn't like being uncertain of anything, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.

_Whatever changed him also caused him to bring us back._

_And how were they able to _do _that? _she wondered. _How were they able to bring us back in the first place? If it wasn't human transmutation, then what was it? And more importantly, why are the Elrics involved too? Did Pride trick them somehow into doing this? Or has he made some kind of deal with them? Do they plan on using us? What will we owe them in return for our lives?_

It wasn't the kind of thing she expected from the Elric brothers. They had both been young idealists. Edward had magnanimously spared Number 48, refusing to kill the pair of murderers because he considered them to still be human. Which was a ridiculous sentiment if she had ever heard one. Alphonse had been willing to die protecting Mustang's subordinate, when it would have made much more sense to leave the pathetic woman behind. And though they had been modest in the telling, their firm beliefs had come through in the story they'd recounted to her. They hadn't abandoned their ideals. She couldn't imagine what the Elrics wanted with the Homunculi if not to manipulate them for their own purposes, but Lust would be quite shocked if that turned out to be the case.

She sighed in frustration. Her thoughts were getting her nowhere. She still only had questions and no answers. She was wasting her time. She didn't trust the Elrics yet, and she would keep her reservations about Pride too, but they had promised to explain everything in the morning.

Another loud clang came from the kitchen and, for a moment, she heard raised voices.

Yes, there certainly was no reason to remain in bed with the racket drifting down the hallway.

Lust sat up on the bed, interlacing her fingers and raising her arms over her head in a luxurious stretch as she surveyed the room.

The canopy bed was large and plush, with a dark-red feather-filled duvet and two plump pillows set at the head of the bed. A handsome mahogany desk sat in one corner of the room, with a matching bookcase beside it. A full-length mirror sat in the other corner. The walls were a light blue, accented with trims of gold. The carpet had an old pattern that hadn't been popular in Central for several decades: stylized roses and thorns on a black background. A blue vase of roses sat on the nearby nightstand. There was a comfortable chair beside a tall floor lamp and the wall-length window had a small balcony.

It was all very sensual. Lust was struck by the attention that had been given to preparing the room. Pride must have done this, but how had he known that roses were her favourite? She had never mentioned it. She was especially surprised by the carpet. When she had first seen one with that pattern in a shop window, she had secretly fancied that the artist had been inspired by her, childish as that fancy was. The thorns, long and sharp, resembled her Ultimate Spear, and she liked the idea of being compared to those flowers: beautiful, but dangerous to touch.

All in all, the room was perfect.

Her reflection in the mirror was less so.

She had been too tired to bother taking off her dress, only managing to kick off her shoes before falling asleep. She regretted it now. The material had rumpled and, coupled with her hair (which was a lot harder to manage than she let on), she looked thoroughly dishevelled.

_Unacceptable_, she thought irritably, standing up and looking about for some way to remedy her less-than-perfect image.

And by some miracle, Pride had thought of that. A brush and comb sat on the desk, so prominently placed that it was as if they were calling her name. As she began the lengthy process of smoothing out her long black waves, she noticed a small door that she had somehow missed in her first look around the room. A closet. And when she opened it, Lust found hanging inside, in no particular order, at least a dozen outfits.

Lust allowed herself a brief smile of pleasure as she fingered through the clothing. Most were in extremely good taste. Pulling out a purple dress similar to the one she had worn on one of her dates with Jean, she was even more pleased to see that it was in the right size. It was incredibly hard to find things that fit her, considering her height and… *ahem* uncommon measurements.

After the stress of the previous night, it was relaxing to lose herself in the simple luxury of sorting through the clothing, trying different dresses on and admiring herself in the mirror.

Lust had never considered herself vain. Or at least not any more than some of her siblings. Greed had spent just as much time as she did preening in the mirror, bragging about his "sexy good looks", fixing his hair so that it stood up on his head and checking that his teeth, sharp as they were, didn't have food stuck in them. Envy didn't spend a lot of time preening – he could fix any blemishes with his shape-shifting, after all – but he was incredibly sensitive about his appearance, which translated in Lust's mind as vanity, plain and simple. Of course, he was sensitive about lots of other things too, but the one insult he couldn't tolerate was being called ugly.

Probably because, unlike everyone else, he had personally designed his own appearance, making the insult as much about his artistic creativity as it was about his actual face.

She didn't think of herself as vain, but that didn't mean she didn't pay attention to her appearance. Beauty was important, in more than one way. Lust hadn't just wanted to look her best because it made her job easier, though that certainly helped. It was so much easier to manipulate men when they were so taken with her appearance that they could only stammer and agree with whatever would please her. Whether she needed information and worked to tease it out of a man, or whether she needed to persuade someone like that fool priest in Liore to aim for power that would eventually result in bloodshed, beauty didn't act only as a distraction. Beauty meant power. Beauty meant confidence. She was attractive and she carried herself with confident self-assurance. Her bearing, when plumbing for secrets, encouraged the poor dupe to trust her. When planting the suggestion that the man should reach for power, her sultry voice and smoky looks said she was confident in his ability to succeed… and that she would be waiting for him once he did.

But one couldn't wield that power if they weren't confident in their attractiveness. A person who acted attractive and yet was not only looked like a fool. And once someone saw you as looking foolish, it was impossible to shake that image.

So Lust was careful to always look her best. She had her pride, after all.

Doing up the buttons of a fairly plain blouse, Lust paused. Something about the person staring back at her in the mirror seemed… different. And it wasn't just that the blouse was much more modest than the low cut she was used to.

It was only after several minutes that she spotted the difference: Her Ouroboros tattoo was missing.

_Yet another sign that we're not the same_, she thought sadly, lightly rubbing the spot on her chest where her tattoo had been. The skin was smooth; there wasn't any hint that the tattoo had ever been there.

She tried to continue trying on the rest of the clothing, but now that she was aware of the tattoo's absence, it was hard to concentrate on anything else, and the distraction only served to spoil her mood. As irrational as it was, without the red symbol stamped boldly on her skin, her bosom felt far more exposed. And most of the clothes were more modest than she would have liked, completely covering her chest.

She felt conflicted: By covering her chest, it would seem as if she was ashamed of the missing mark, but if she wore something more revealing, the absence would be prominently displayed.

It was an annoying dilemma, but she eventually settled on the purple dress, which was fairly similar to her ordinary dress. Then, she slipped her high heels on, opened the bedroom door, and followed the sound of voices and the lingering scent of burnt food down the hallway.

* * *

When Lust entered the kitchen, she was both surprised and unimpressed at what she found.

Pride was standing on a stool at the stove, arguing shrilly with the dark-haired man who had claimed to be Greed from the night before. He spoke the same way Greed did, with that rough drawl that he thought was sexy (but which she mostly thought of as posturing), and his voice was similar to what she remembered, but it was hard to believe that he had been given a new body. Especially one so different in shape and size. Greed had been a good bit taller than her, but this new version was probably the same height. If not shorter. He looked like a teenager!

From the way the two were bickering over each other, Lust couldn't tell what the argument was about, though it looked like Greed was trying to take over for Pride at the stove. The phrases "I want my food to be _cooked_, not scorched!" and "I want to do it myself!" were all she could pick out before they saw her. Pride instantly forgot all about the argument, grinning and jumping off the stool, leaving Greed the apparent winner. With a shrug, he took over tending the food while turning to watch them over his shoulder at the same time.

"Good morning, Lust! Did you sleep well?"

Could he really be Pride? He looked younger and he had that dot on his forehead, but he still _looked_ and _sounded_ like the same person. He had spent a few years faking his identity in the Bradley household, so she knew he could act. And yet, his cheerful voice and smile seemed so genuine…

"Well enough," she replied, humouring his smile with a small one of her own. _If he's merely faking the child act, then I should play along. And if he really _is _a child, it would be best to treat him as such. _"What's going on here?"

"We're making breakfast!"

"I can see that," she replied dryly with a glance around the room. Dishes were piled up on the table and Alphonse was clearing a space so that he would have room to work. He spared a second to send an apologetic smile her way.

"I'm sorry if we woke you," he said.

Lust shrugged lightly and slipped gracefully around Pride to take a seat at the alcove table.

"I was already awake," she admitted after a moment.

Alphonse nodded politely and returned his attention to his work, beginning to cut strawberries up into a bowl. Pride plopped himself down across from her on the bench, kicking his feet like a child and beaming happily up at her. Lust was used to getting attention, but Pride's happy stare was unnerving and she wished he would stop looking at her like that.

"What did you think of your room? And the clothes? Are they okay? That dress looks nice on you. I hope you like pancakes."

She blinked in surprise at the rapid words, and as she hesitated over which answer to give first, Lust felt a sudden foreboding. _Oh God. I hope he hasn't turned into some hyperactive little brat…_

"The room is lovely. Were you the one who chose everything?"

"Oh no!" Pride laughed at the suggestion. "Like I'd know anything about girly stuff like that! Mother picked most of it."

"'Mother'?" _What on earth is he talking about?_

"Uh-huh," Pride nodded cheerfully, oblivious to Lust's confusion. "She said that, since you're a girl, if I wanted you to be comfortable, I had to make sure you had some pretty things around."

"He's talking about Ms. Bradley," Alphonse said by way of explanation. "Selim, you have to remember that they don't know everything yet."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"We didn't get to that part of the story last night, but basically, after the Promised Day, Ms. Bradley took Selim as her son to raise again."

"Wait," Lust said, holding up her hand. "Just to be clear, you're talking about Fuhrer Bradley's wife?"

"Of course! Who else would I call 'Mother'?"

"She was only your fake step-mother for a few years," Lust commented dismissively. She hadn't meant it to be mean, but Pride stiffened across from her, looking so offended and indignant that she sighed and quickly moved to smooth his feelings. "Ms. Bradley must be a wise woman. The things she picked are in very good taste."

Pride nodded and smiled, and just like that, it was forgiven and forgotten.

"Where _is_ the Madam Fuhrer, then?" Lust asked, realizing that they had yet to meet the woman who obviously was also involved in this… _situation_.

"She's not here," Pride said. He had turned his head to glance over at Greed, who was still minding the stove, only to suddenly jump up and shout, "Don't eat them, Greed!"

Greed struggled to hold Pride at bay as the little boy crowded him, reaching on tiptoe for the half-eaten pancake in his left hand while he still held the spatula in his right. His words came out somewhat garbled by the food in his mouth.

"Mmff, knock id off, kid. I'm hungry _now_. Lemme alone."

"You have to wait for everyone else!"

"What th'hell for? I'm not gonna' eat it all!"

"To make sure everyone gets their share! Don't be greedy!"

"_EXCUSE me?!_ And how do you expect me to-"

Alphonse sighed and turned to Lust, continuing the thread of their earlier topic.

"We sent Ms. Bradley away a few days ago, just to be on the safe side. If the transmutation went wrong, we didn't want her to be anywhere nearby. And…" He hesitated. "Well, we thought it would be better to give you some time to settle in first, without extra strangers around."

That made sense. Lust turned her head to gaze indifferently out the kitchen window as Greed and Pride continued to squabble. Was Greed so eager to bicker because Pride had attacked him before as an enemy, or was he just not used to dealing with children?

There was a planter outside on the windowsill filled with little white flowers. Judging by what she'd seen so far, Ms. Bradley must be a gardener, for it was unlikely that the Elric boys or Pride bothered tending so many plants. The forest surrounding the mansion looked thick. Where had Alphonse said they were…? She couldn't remember, but it was clearly not Central. There were no city noises of cars, people, machines, or noisy pets; just some birds singing. Were they out in the middle of nowhere? Lust wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Despite how long she'd lived, she had spent very little of it staying in rural areas. Farmland and forest was simply what went by the train window while she waited for her next destination; peaceful and pretty, but nothing more.

Greed grouchily sank down into Pride's spot, distracting Lust from her thoughts. He must have given up on arguing because Pride was back at the stove, perched on his stool and face intent with concentration, though there was also the small smile of satisfaction at having won the fight. Just as good that Greed hadn't held out against him; even though she was the second eldest and Pride respected her intelligence, she'd never once been able to directly change his mind. He was simply too arrogant to admit being wrong.

With him sitting right across from her, Lust was able to finally take a good, long look at Greed's new body. Maybe he was in the body of a teenager, but he wasn't ugly. Far from it. Given a few more years, who knew? He might actually flesh out into a respectable man. He was wearing a black shirt with a raised collar, a little line of white trim on the top, and black pants, which made it hard for her to judge the body underneath, but if she had to guess, Lust expected that he was lean muscle under the clothing. Black hair in a loose ponytail, with bangs sweeping to the left across his forehead. The same dark purple-red eyes that she and Envy bore. And his features, now that she looked more closely, seemed slightly Xingese. Edward had mentioned that the true owner of the body – some prince, apparently – was from Xing.

His manner of holding himself, however, was completely the same. It had been a hundred years since Greed had ran away, but they had also lived together for a hundred years before his defection, and insignificant memories floated up from his body language. The way his elbows rested on the back of the bench. The posture with which he sat, a bit of a slouch to suggest nonchalance and bad boy-ness, while his chest remained out and open, lending an air of confidence and self-possession. His legs were spread wide under the table, saying that he wasn't afraid of anything and didn't mind being checked out. His lips, as he saw Lust studying him, turned up into his cocky, easy-going grin, made less familiar by the change to his teeth, and his eyes quite boldly swept over her, appraising her just as she was appraising him.

In fact, his perusal was a little _too_ bold. He was eyeing her as if he'd never seen her before. Maybe she was boasting, but even after a hundred years, Lust did not believe _anyone_ – especially Greed, with his womanizing tendencies – could forget her.

"You know," he said with a slightly teasing edge, "no one told me I had such a _fiiine_ sister."

"You don't remember me?"

"'Fraid not. The old man erased most of my memories. You look sorta' kinda' familiar, but that's about it."

Lust frowned at the disrespectful reference to their father but decided to let it slide. Greed had always been as casual with Father as he could get away with.

How should she treat him? She knew him, but from his end, she was a stranger. Then again, he was treating her pretty familiarly nonetheless, letting his easy smile work its charm as it always did. She wasn't really surprised: Greed had a knack for charming people, attracting and welcoming everyone to him as potential possessions.

She leaned back casually on the bench, sending her own smoky smile his way before retorting:

"It's a shame that I can't say the same for you. I found your old body far more attractive."

Greed stared for a moment and then threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"Touché," he responded when his mirth subsided, wiping tears from his eyes. "I don't remember what I looked like before, so I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted!"

"Insulted, obviously."

Greed smirked at her, eager to win this round. "Yeah, but how do I know you had good taste in men? Maybe you _liked _ugly guys."

Lust paused for a moment, conceding that he'd made a good move. She could defend her tastes by describing his old body – that he'd been tall and broad-shouldered, with a sharp nose and strong chin, muscular chest and arms, and that he'd worn tight leather pants that didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination – but then she'd be falling into the trap of admitting that he'd been good-looking, and she really didn't feel like stroking his ego at the moment.

So she returned his smirk and retorted, "Don't let it go to your head. _Neither_ of you are good enough for me. Things can be ranked even when they're _both_ in the negative."

He merely chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, accepting that she'd beaten him this time, then glanced hungrily back at Pride and the stove. His face lit up when he saw that Alphonse was pulling plates down from the cupboard and moving things to the dining room, and that there was a respectable pile of pancakes on the plate at Pride's side.

"Almost time to eat?"

"Almost," Alphonse replied. "We just need to set up and get the others. Greed, why don't you go see if you can wake Sloth up? And Lust, if you wouldn't mind getting Gluttony and Envy…?"

Greed, bearing Ling's body's appetite, didn't need any urging if it meant he'd be able to eat soon, though he was_ not _looking forward to the unenviable task of trying to get Sloth up, and Lust was bored enough that she didn't mind doing as he asked. Both Homunculi rose from the table and left the kitchen on their respective missions.

* * *

Lust came to Envy's room first. She hesitated at the door for a moment, remembering the naked hatred and desperate fear in his voice as he'd yelled at the Fullmetal boy. Envy had built his entire identity on being superior to humans because he was a Homunculus, whereas Lust had believed herself superior for reasons beyond just that fact. And compared to all of the others, he had been the least human, his powers forming an integral part of his identity in a way that wasn't true for the other Homunculi. Was he even capable of approaching this situation rationally?

Lust had dealt with Envy's tantrums before, though, and she was fairly skilled at reading his moods. They had been together long enough for him to reign in his more unstable side in order to listen to her.

She gave a few gentle raps on the door with the back of her knuckles, called his name, and eased the door open enough to stick her head in.

She wouldn't have been surprised to see everything in the room destroyed or to see the window open and him long gone, but neither of those things was true. Envy was lying on the bed with his back to the door, slightly curled into a ball, and the room's furnishings were all in one piece.

"…Envy? Are you awake?" she called again.

He didn't move.

He was _too_ still, she noted.

When a person slept, their breathing became different, usually slow and relaxed. Envy had always been a light sleeper, but she should at least have been able to see his sides rising and falling with his breath. Instead, his breathing was so shallow that his sides were barely moving.

He was awake and trying to fake being asleep.

She shook her head at the childishness of the act, but obviously he didn't feel like dealing with anyone just yet.

"…I guess you're still asleep. Breakfast will be ready soon if you're hungry."

No movement.

She pretended that her next words were meant for herself, though she most definitely was saying them for his benefit.

"The Elrics said they would explain everything in the morning, and it is possible that Pride has tricked them somehow, so we can't jump to conclusions yet. We _will_ figure this out."

Was that a twitch in his shoulders?

She waited one more moment, but he stubbornly continued his sham. With an inward sigh, she gently closed the door and headed down the hallway for Gluttony's room, deciding to let Envy come out on his own rather than force him.

* * *

Lust expected Gluttony to be far easier to rouse, for although he was a fairly heavy sleeper, surely the words "Breakfast is ready" would be all it took to get him up.

With this expectation, Lust gave the same rap on the door as she had done with Envy before opening it and stepping inside, far less concerned with disturbing her pudgy brother's privacy. Gluttony wouldn't have understood the idea that his dear Lust could invade his privacy, and indeed probably would have been upset if Lust had hesitated to enter.

Gluttony was lying on his back, quite obviously asleep, a light snore accompanying his large stomach as he breathed in and out peacefully. Whoever had arranged the room – probably Pride – had kept things simple to suit Gluttony's nature. The bed, larger than her own for obvious reasons, was draped with a colourful quilt, but the rest of the furnishings were quite plain. A dresser, a bed stand and lamp, a shelf, and a chair were all that graced the room. Even those few things were likely excessive for the Homunculus whose needs included food and a guiding hand and little else.

"Gluttony," Lust called as she moved to the bed and put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react, and she shook him a bit while letting the word 'breakfast' drop. True to form, he stirred at that, stretching, yawning sleepily, and bringing a hand up to rub his eyes as he looked at her blearily.

"Come on," she said simply, already turning back to the door, expecting that he would follow as he always did.

Instead, Gluttony latched onto her arm.

"Lust!"

To her great irritation, Lust found her waist promptly engulfed by Gluttony's thick arms, pulling her back to the side of the bed. She pried at his grip helplessly, having had enough of being hugged the previous night.

"Gluttony! Enough of this! Let go of… me…"

Her voice trailed off at the anguished look on her younger brother's face. Gluttony's beady eyes were not the best at expressing emotions, but she had never seen him look so upset before. Obediently, he released his hold on her waist as she'd ordered even while quite clearly not wanting to, and her mind played back to the story the Elrics had told.

Gluttony was neither smart nor skilled. Without a guiding hand from his older and more intelligent siblings, he'd probably have gotten lost and wandered aimlessly, eating whatever came across his path and, if he was lucky, avoiding being killed too often. Pride was far too arrogant to waste his time babysitting the infantile Homunculus, barely acknowledging that they were of the same blood. Greed ditched the responsibility at every opportunity, not minding Gluttony but finding that his presence cramped the Sin's style, especially when flirting with the ladies. Sloth had stayed in the tunnels and imagining Sloth and Gluttony together, Lust wasn't sure which one of them would get into more trouble out among the general populace. Envy didn't mind watching Gluttony; since he had been the youngest among them (not counting Sloth, who wasn't around and didn't react to teasing anyway), he appreciated having someone younger to pick on and bully, but his responsibilities often kept him busy and unable to take on that particular burden.

So taking care of Gluttony had fallen primarily on Lust's shoulders. In the beginning, she hadn't liked or disliked the task, simply accepting it as a responsibility from Father the same as her other jobs. Admittedly, she had treated Gluttony something like a dog, using praise and food as reward and denying him food as punishment until he was well trained enough that she could give him commands (albeit simple ones) and be fairly confident that he would carry them out: "Wait here until I return for you. Follow that man's scent and eat him when no one is around to see. I'm going to be a bit longer here, so return to Central on your own. No, you can't eat that."

But as the years had gone by, Lust found that taking care of Gluttony became less a responsibility and more a normal thing for her to do. Sometimes she needed a break from him, but she generally liked having him around and her treatment of him became less aloof and more fond, especially when they weren't working on the crests of blood, which naturally took up more of her attention.

Gluttony, for his part, had always worshipped her. From her hand came food and the permission to eat. From her too came attention, whether in the form of words or in the form of being used as a giant footstool, both of which provided a welcome distraction from his all-consuming hunger. Her words were most often about humans and how pitiful they were, but her reasoning usually went over his head and he just pretended to understand and agree. Unlike all of the other Homunculi, Lust never lost her patience with him, never spoke harshly to him, and never belittled him or demeaned him.

And she had been killed.

Her irritation with him melted away as she considered it from his point of view. Not only had his only true partner and friend been lost, but the odds were very low that the other Homunculi had bothered trying to comfort him. Pride and Wrath may have felt some regret, but it was more likely that they had viewed her death with the cold practicality of how it would affect their plans. Greed had already been returned to Father's soul, so he couldn't feel bad about it. Envy would have been angry, but with Mustang being a potential sacrifice, revenge would have been wasteful, and the kindness and comfort Gluttony needed most at that moment were things Envy didn't possess to offer even if he wanted to. And Lust doubted that anyone had even bothered to tell Sloth.

Finding herself suddenly much more sympathetic, she sat down beside Gluttony on the edge of the bed while he sat up, resting her hand on top of his bald head and listening patiently as he spoke in his short, simple sentences.

"I missed you, Lust. You died. Mustang killed you, but Envy said I couldn't eat him. You were gone…"

"I know," she murmured. "I'm sorry I left you, but it's all right now. I'm right here."

"You won't die again, right?"

"Of course not."

Gluttony stayed still for another moment, apparently digesting the promise, before giving one of his large and happy grins, accepting what she said without a second thought. His world was simple and innocent, and her words were the only truth that mattered. He had Lust back, so the time without her was no longer important or worth remembering.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Uh-huh."

She stood up and headed for the door. "Then let's go get some breakfast, shall we?"

Gluttony eagerly got to his feet and followed her out of the room.

* * *

When they got to the kitchen, they found that Greed had miraculously managed to get Sloth up and out of bed without much hassle. Greed was sitting at the dining room table, already into his second pancake, and the hulking Sloth was just entering the room, allowing himself to be led by Pride to a seat (though his slow pace clearly showed his apathy for the whole affair). Gluttony earnestly followed Greed's example, but Lust took a moment to look around before taking her own seat beside him.

The dining room, mimicking much of the rest of the mansion, was grand and impressive. The ceiling was high, the wall was lined with tall arched windows with fanned grilling, and a chandelier hung at the centre of the table, which could easily accommodate them all. The table itself was a long rectangle of dark red wood with rounded ends and the chairs were fairly formal, with high backs and curved legs.

Lust definitely appreciated the luxury, but it was not at all what she was used to. None of the Homunculi had lived in such extravagance – not even Greed, whose desires likely included such riches but who hadn't had the opportunity to accrue them. Father hadn't given any notice to the temporary comforts that humans spent so much time being concerned over. Their hideout underneath Central had been stark and utilitarian. Ascetic, even. Living under Father and Pride's condescension for such indulgences, Lust had curbed her own instincts for sensual material possessions.

Despite her appreciation, though, she couldn't help but find it a shame in a way. Gluttony and Sloth wouldn't notice; Pride, as a child _or_ Homunculus, would consider it frivolous; and Envy would notice but be completely indifferent. She and Greed were the only ones who would actually enjoy the rich grandeur.

_And why this extravagance in the first place? _she wondered. _It doesn't suit the Elrics at all-_

"Lust, was Envy awake?" Pride asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"No," she lied. "I'm sure he'll join us shortly, though. When he's ready."

Pride nodded, understanding what she meant. They had all dealt with Envy's emotional outbursts before, and it was always better to give him time to gather up his dignity.

She turned to Alphonse. "Where's the Fullmetal boy?"

"Brother? He's still sleeping." Alphonse looked out the window, somewhat exasperated by the way the sun was already reaching its zenith. "He's always been a late sleeper, but I'm kind of surprised he's still in bed…"

"Who's still in bed?" Edward asked from the doorway, yawning loudly and scratching his head, not at all improving how dishevelled his hair was.

"Big Brother! Good morning!" Pride chirped. Greed spared a moment to raise his hand in greeting, and Al merely gestured to Ed's intended seat, where a cup of coffee waited.

"Ugh," he replied elegantly, taking his seat and a great gulpful of liquid.

"Geez," Greed chuckled across from him. "What are you, an old man now?"

"Aw, shut up. We put a lot of work into this and, believe it or not, six years makes a big difference.

"So…" he continued, looking around at the Homunculi. "Looks like we didn't lose anyone through the night… Wait a minute; where's Envy?"

"Right here, Pipsqueak," sneered a voice from the doorway.

Despite the levity to be taking a jab at Ed's height, Envy looked worse than Ed did. Without the shape-shifting that normally kept his appearance relatively tidy, his long hair fell even more wildly around his head and face. His eyes had the puffy and dark look of someone who hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep, and the expression he bore as he swept a narrowed glare over the room was sullen and sour. His body language more than spoke for his mood; he walked to the table with a mix of saunter and wariness, hands on hips and head held high but eyes darting and face tight. He sat down at the end of the table, rudely throwing his feet up and giving dirty looks to the world in general.

Alphonse looked uncomfortable and Pride squirmed in his chair, a pall of anxiety falling over his face. Lust didn't know what he was so worried about until she remembered his words from the previous night:

_It's my fault that you're here. It's my fault that you're human._

He was afraid, then. Afraid that Envy – no, that all of them – would blame him, would hate him, for their current situation.

As well he _should_ be worried, then.

Edward, on the other hand, was unfazed by Envy's foul humour, merely nodding down the table at him and taking another sip of coffee.

If anything, Envy's face grew more irritated at the fact that his 'pipsqueak' jibe hadn't produced any reaction, but, after frowning for a few moments, he pulled his feet back down off the table and reached for a plate.

For a few minutes, everyone ate in silence. The scene was actually quite domestic. Any ignorant bystander would have thought they were just a regular family.

Of course, Gluttony and Sloth had no idea what the utensils were for, none of the Homunculi thought to pass things back and forth, Envy was dressed in an outfit that no sane human would wear, Pride had that dot on his forehead, and Lust, Greed, and Envy had those inhuman red-purple eyes, so they weren't exactly _regular_ per se.

With that thought, Lust glanced down the table at Sloth. She figured that, out of all of them, he would actually stand out the most, considering his huge size and covered right eye. However, that turned out not to be the case.

She felt somewhat annoyed with herself that she hadn't noticed the differences the night before. His body was practically identical, but scaled down to a more realistic size. He was still taller than a normal person, but rather than have her head barely make it past his waist, it looked like she would now come up to his chest. The red node that had traveled from his right eye to down along his arm was gone, leaving both eyes dull but unobstructed. A surreptitious glance at Gluttony confirmed that the red nodes on his arms were gone. And when Envy leaned across the table, she saw that his back was bare as well.

Sloth was now on par with the Strong Arm Alchemist: exceptional compared to regular people, but unmistakably human nonetheless.

Greed was the first to finish eating, which came as no surprise, since he'd been the first to sit down.

"You know," he said, "this is a pretty nice place you've got here." He gestured at the table and chandelier. "What'd you do to get it? I didn't think you two'd get into the drug trafficking biz'."

"What?!" Ed choked on his coffee.

Alphonse laughed. "It's not like that. Ed and I are only visitors, really. It's just Ms. Bradley and Selim that live here, and technically the house belongs to the military."

"If that's the case, then how long do we have to put up with the two of you?" Envy asked from the end of the table. "The Fullmetal Pipsqueak gets on my nerves, you know." He smiled sweetly at Ed, waiting for his reaction.

Ed feigned an offended look, but otherwise didn't move.

"Don't waste your breath, Envy. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm no longer a half-pint bean sprout midget. In fact, I'd say I'm taller than you now." A look of horror crossed Envy's face. Ed looked smug. "And I can't accept the title of Fullmetal since I'm no longer a State Alchemist."

"Big Brother and Teacher have to stick around," Pride piped up. "We gotta' make sure nothing went wrong."

Lust's eyes fell to Edward's right arm at the mention of _Fullmetal_, the codename testament to his automail arm and leg, but it was Greed who commented first.

"Your arm…"

Edward looked down, then lifted the arm up for everyone to see. He wasn't wearing his customary white gloves, which he had used to hide the automail when out in public.

Instead of cold metal, his hand was flesh and blood.

And Lust noticed something else as well.

"Surely you won't be "sticking around" for too long," she commented.

The Elrics looked confused by the statement. She nodded her head pointedly at Ed's other hand and after a moment, Ed blushed and held up his left arm as well.

There, on his fourth finger, was a wedding band.

The little Fullmetal boy was married.

The other Homunculi didn't really care, but Greed was delighted. He reached across the table to give Ed a congratulatory smack on the shoulder and chuckled on about the "nice girl who wanted it all". Obviously he'd met the young woman.

"You're right," Ed said, addressing Lust's comment. "We shouldn't need to stay for too long, and Winry's already been remarkably patient with me as it is. I'd like to bring Ms. Bradley back in the next few days and return to Resembool by next week."

"Great," Envy muttered under his breath, though loud enough for everyone to hear. "_Another_ human to put up with."

Ed's eyes hardened.

"Selim's mother is the only reason why you're here right now," he said harshly. "If she hadn't given her consent, we wouldn't have performed the transmutation and you wouldn't be getting this second chance. So when she gets here, you'll treat her with respect."

"Oh yeah? _Make me_," Envy challenged, but it was Pride who responded. His voice, changing from the childish pitch he'd thus far maintained, took on the colder, arrogant tone that they were far more used to.

"You _will_ show Mother respect," he said. His tone brooked no argument, and Envy wisely backed down from his eldest brother, though he clearly wasn't happy about it.

Pride continued on in a more moderate voice.

"Mother took me in again even though she knew I wasn't human. She has done nothing but wish for my happiness. And one of the things I wanted was to see you all again.

"Maybe it was wrong of me. Maybe I'm just being selfish, wanting my family back. I know we weren't all that close, and to live as humans is asking for a lot, but please… Just hear me out. What's happened since the Promised Day. How we were able to bring you all back…

"I'll explain everything."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Selim and alchemy_: In the 2003 anime, the Homunculi specifically cannot use alchemy because they do not have souls, but in the manga and Brotherhood, there are numerous references to the Homunculi having souls – if not their own souls, then the pieces of Father's soul that they were given containing their respective sins. Others may disagree with me, but I believe that the Homunculi didn't learn alchemy because they either didn't have the intellect for it (Gluttony and Sloth), didn't have the discipline and/or interest (Envy, Greed, and Wrath), or didn't see the need because Father was already a master at it (Lust and Pride). Actually, I believe that Pride does use alchemy when forcing Mustang to commit human transmutation. Remember that the gold-toothed doctor performs some kind of transmutation that sacrifices some of the Fuhrer candidates to seize the sacrifices and send them directly to Father. I think Pride performs a similar transmutation and pays a toll by sacrificing most of his Stone's souls, while Mustang pays the toll because he was caught up in the transmutation. Truth does not care whether Mustang intended to perform the taboo or was simply an innocent caught in the transmutation.

_"Was that even English?"_: It was pointed out to me that we don't know what the language of Amestris is called in the FMA-verse and that it might be better to call it Amestrian. However, I'm going to call it English because, even in the Japanese version of the anime, any writing (whether on books or maps or signs) is portrayed in English script.


	5. Laws of Alchemy

Number of words: 10,910

Published date: August 26, 2012

Began chapter: July 27, 2012

Finished chapter: August 7, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 5: Laws of Alchemy**

Pride led the Homunculi into the living room, which sported two couches and chairs set in a broken circle around the fireplace. Edward and Alphonse took seats separate from the group; they were close enough to speak up if they had to, but it was obvious they intended to allow Pride to direct the telling.

For a few minutes, the first Homunculus stalled. He busied himself with checking that they were all comfortable, asking if they wanted tea or coffee. He insisted on dragging a table to the circle by himself and spent unnecessary time pushing it back and forth so that it was exactly centred with the fireplace. Even once he'd clambered up to give himself some height and authority, he fidgeted with his clothing and looked nervously from face to face before taking a deep breath and beginning the story in a wavering voice.

"Um… Well… I guess the place to start is with the Promised Day.

"Uh, well, we all know what the plan was. The crests of blood were carved. Briggs was the last place to experience bloodshed. All we needed to do was gather the sacrifices and bring them to Father. Once the solar eclipse began, Father would use their Portals of Truth to open the planet's doorway, turn the population of Amestris into a Philosopher's Stone, and seize God's power for his own."

Even though she had heard it the night before, Lust still inwardly flinched at having their plans stated so clearly in front of the two brothers.

"Brigadier General Mustang led his men in a rebellion against Central forces with the intent of stopping us. He teamed up with Northern Briggs troops and they managed to take control of Central Command.

"Even so, they weren't able to stop the transmutation circle from activating. Wrath and I forced Mustang to perform human transmutation and the plan was a success. Amestris became a Philosopher's Stone and Father opened the planet's Doorway of Truth. However…

"The humans… They figured out how to counter the transmutation circle. There was no way for us to prevent it. The souls were freed from Father and sent back into their own bodies, and Father wasn't able to control their use of alchemy anymore. Without the souls of the Amestrians, he didn't have enough power to contain God, so he went to the surface to recreate the Stone using individual lives instead.

"I stayed behind to confront Big Brother. My container was falling apart. By forcing Mustang to open the Portal, I used up almost all of my Stone and was near death. I thought to steal Big Brother's body, use it as my own. Instead, Edward defeated me. He was able to tear the rest of the souls from my Stone and left me in my true form: a helpless baby. I couldn't think or do anything. It wasn't until two years later that I began to regain my memories.

"The humans fought Father on the surface, and they used all of their power to force him to use up his Stone in self-defence. And when the Stone was gone, Truth took him from this world."

Pride stopped talking, giving his siblings a moment of silence. Envy closed his eyes and put his head down. His hands gripped the chair arms so tightly that his arms – no, his whole body – trembled. Lust closed her eyes as well, no less immune to the painful truth even though she'd heard it already the night before. Greed pretended to remain unaffected, but he squirmed unhappily in his seat and acknowledged (if only to himself) that, as much as they had been enemies, he didn't like hearing of Father's death any more than the others. Even Gluttony and Sloth, who weren't really following the conversation, understood Pride's words. Sloth didn't change his expression, but Gluttony looked confused, and then upset, as he turned to Lust for confirmation of what he'd heard, and his beady eyes welled up with tears when she placed her hand comfortingly on his head.

Without their attention, Pride grew uncomfortable standing on the table, and he sank down to sit on its edge with his legs crossed, patiently waiting for the solemnity to pass.

It was Envy who spoke first.

"You… How can you…" He lifted his head to stare first at Pride, then at Edward, eyes so furious that the look should have killed them both. He gritted his teeth with emotions just barely under control, forcing the words out until he was screaming. "How can you just sit there, living with them like this? How can you forgive them!? Pride, they KILLED OUR FATHER!" His finger stabbed out to point at Ed accusingly. "And you're saying it like it's… like it doesn't…"

"It's not forgiveness," Pride responded as forcefully as he could while facing Envy's anger. "They were fighting for their lives, Envy! They didn't have a choice! It was either kill us or be killed themselves! We were the ones in the wrong!"

"_We_ were wrong?! How, huh?! Explain it to me, Pride! Explain how using insignificant bugs that are just going to die anyway could be wrong! We're better than them! Superior! How could they possibly matter? And how can you even say that? You're Pride the Arrogant! Aren't you the most superior of all of us?"

"No! Stop it! Stop calling me that!" Pride shouted. "I'm not Pride anymore!"

"Huh?" Anger was quickly replaced by confusion. "What d'you mean, "not Pride"?"

"I'm not Pride!" he repeated weakly. "My name is Selim now. I'm Selim!"

Envy snorted derisively. "_"Selim"? _Hmph, who do you think you're kidding? Are you pretending to be a human now? What's the matter with you? You can't just call yourself by a different name and expect to-"

"I'm not pretending! I _have_ changed! I'm not the same person anymore!"

The little boy faltered then. How could he explain it in a way that his siblings would understand? Greed was taking it all in with an open mind, having observed Pride's changed behaviour on his own and trusting in Edward's judgment, but Envy had crossed his arms over his chest with an expression of impatient scepticism and Lust was looking at him with sharp eyes, studying his words and manner to draw her own conclusions.

"I can't really explain it…" he murmured, "and I know you can't understand it now, but I'm both Pride _and_ Selim. I still have all my memories as Pride. I still remember what I thought and felt. How beneath us humans were. How no sacrifice could be too great to accomplish Father's goal. But it's like… they aren't a part of me anymore."

"Is this 'change' because of your defeat? Because your Stone was destroyed?" Lust speculated, but Pride quickly shook his head.

"No, that's not it," he replied. "I think it's because of what's happened since then. Living with Mother without lying, without having any powers… I mean, I'm as close to human as I can get. I've been able to learn and observe things about them in a way that we never could have before."

"You little bastard!" Envy shouted, getting to his feet, fists clenched. "Who cares about understanding them?! Damn it, Pride! You should have killed them! You should have gotten revenge! You should have done _something_!"

Lust started to rise as well, preparing to do what she could to calm him down – they shouldn't be fighting now, especially not in front of the Elric brothers – but Pride stood and countered before she could say anything.

"Like what? What should I have done? What _could _I have done, Envy? Look at me!" Pride's tone became bitter as he gestured to himself, standing up to emphasize his change in size. "I don't just _look_ like a child anymore; I _am_ a child! This isn't just a container, it's my body! I can be hurt now! I can die! I don't have any powers. I can't heal. I don't have my shadows anymore. So what do you think I should have done?"

Envy didn't respond, but the question had been rhetorical and Pride continued speaking without so much as a pause.

"Tried to complete Father's goal on my own? Let's see, what would I have had to do? Activate the Nationwide Transmutation Circle again to recreate the Philosopher's Stone? How? The military sent units to points on the circle to fill it in and prevent anyone else from using it. Should I have stolen the military records to discover where it was broken, traveled to all the points, and dug them out by hand?"

He scoffed at the ridiculousness of the idea.

"How about the solar eclipse? Do you even _know_ how rare solar eclipses are? Father had to wait four hundred years for this eclipse, and that's about how often they occur in the same place! If I can be injured, then who's to say I won't die of old age long before the next eclipse comes? Or should I calculate where the next one will occur and travel to its centre, wherever that may be? What if it's on the other side of the world? How am I, a child, supposed to get there and dig a new circle when it took Sloth almost two hundred years to dig the first one? And that's ignoring the fact that I was bound to remain within the circle's limits. If I tried to leave Amestris, I would have died. I don't know if that's still true, but does it make sense to risk it?

"Even if you ignore all of that, I still couldn't complete Father's goal. I don't have the knowledge that he had; no one does. His knowledge came from beyond Truth and there's no way for us to figure it out without him."

"Then bring him back!" Envy cried. "You brought _us_ back, so why not Father?"

Pride flinched away from the accusation, refusing to meet any of their eyes and instead directing a hurt expression at the floor.

"It's impossible. Believe me; I've considered it from every angle I can think of." Lust detected a hint of guiltiness in Pride's voice, which was only confirmed when he shot a furtive glance towards where Edward and Alphonse were sitting, as if trying to gauge their reactions. He probably hadn't admitted considering it. The two brothers likely viewed the Homunculi's father as evil on an entirely different scale from his children and so would _not_ have been open to the idea. "It's not the same situation. The alchemy we used for you wouldn't work for Father. If he's still alive, he's trapped beyond Truth's realm and there's no way for us to bring him back."

Envy still wasn't ready to accept it. "Then forget the plan! You still should have-"

"Sought revenge?" Pride finished with a sneer very much like his old self. "For what, Envy? What would be the point?" He shook his head as if amazed that his younger brother could be so dense. His tone was condescending. "How much damage could I do the way I am now? Maybe if I had my powers back, there'd be some hope, but like this? There aren't very many humans so pathetic that they'd allow themselves to be killed by a child. Even if I could manage it, how long would it take before I was discovered, captured, and killed? The military knows who and what I was; they wouldn't be moved to mercy by the face of a child. And who should I focus the blame on? The humans all worked together, so there's no point in holding any one more accountable than the others.

"The humans did what they had to do to stop us and save themselves. Should we hate them because they stood in our way?"

He let the question hang for a moment, daring them to argue. Envy glared at him but remained silent. Lust didn't let her opinion show, but she recognized the logic in his words. Greed merely shrugged, bored with the discussion since he'd kind of been on the humans' side already and agreed with most of what Pride was saying.

"No," Pride concluded. "I wasn't eager to throw away my life on a pointless quest for vengeance. Far smarter to accept my situation, accept what had happened, and do my best to live as a human with Mother."

Seconds passed in silence. No one spoke. No one tried to object or argue with him. As if exhausted by his own words, Pride backed up and sat back down on the table, sighing and resting his chin in his hands. Suddenly he no longer appeared as the eldest Homunculus, arrogant and superior, but as a simple human child, worn out and sensitive to the conflict and ensuing emotions.

When he started talking again, it was to continue the story of what had happened after the Promised Day.

"The people of Amestris were told that the senior staff of Military Command were the ones responsible for what happened. Clemin and Edison were the only ones left alive after the fighting and they were arrested as the masterminds behind the plot to sacrifice the population. If they had told the truth and implicated Wrath as well, the citizenry would completely lose its faith in the military, so King Bradley was portrayed as a hero who was betrayed by his subordinates and died trying to stop them.

"Brigadier General Mustang and Major General Armstrong were also portrayed as heroes who discovered the plot and risked being viewed as insurgents, fighting against their own superiors in order to protect the civilians."

Pride gave a light laugh as he remembered a smaller detail.

"Oh, and officially, Selim Bradley also died in the rebellion. I've got my own grave and headstone and everything!

"The government and military was in an uproar for a while, but Mustang oversaw Amestris's defence and the restoration of the city until Grumman was sworn in as the new Fuhrer.

"Changes have been slow in coming, but Amestris is far more peaceful than it was under our rule. Without the need to maintain our borders for the Nationwide Transmutation Circle, it's been possible to negotiate with Creta and Aerugo over land, so instead of fighting endlessly over contested areas, we've compromised. For example, the Milos at Creta's border have received greater autonomy and are now getting the opportunity to voice their grievances. I mean, relations are still pretty hostile. After all, our country's been taking over others' land since its inception and grudges don't just go away after six years. But things are getting better.

"Perhaps the biggest change has been with Ishval. It's been something of Mustang's pet project, really. He gave up a more prestigious office in Central to return to Eastern Command to direct the restoration efforts. Along with Mustang and Armstrong's efforts on the Promised Day, it was Ishvalans that came to Central and informed the populace that they couldn't trust their leaders anymore, and it was through Ishvalan efforts that the humans were able to perform their alchemy against Father's will.

"The government issued an official apology to the Ishvalans for what happened during the War of Extermination. Ever since then, it's been working to restore the Ishvalan people to their holy land. It's been slow going. At first, the Ishvalans didn't trust the government's words, suspecting that it was just a bid to find the remaining survivors to exterminate them, and even once they were convinced that that wasn't the case, it took a long time for everyone to travel across the country. And for all we know, there are probably pockets of Ishvalan refugees who never got the message or who didn't want to relocate again.

"The land itself suffered a serious blow from the war, so it's taken a lot of work on Amestris's part to get the people back on their feet. The croplands – and there were never a lot of those in the first place – were either burned or left untended to wither away, herds were killed or left to roam wild, and the major cities and buildings were destroyed, so the Ishvalans didn't have any primary resources of their own to build upon and they had to rely on Amestris's aid for food, water, medicine, and such. The warrior monks who survived the war – monks like Scar – became integral to Ishval's leadership and cooperation with Amestris. I guess, in their religion, they hold some authority over the regular people, so they become Ishval's representatives to the outside world.

"The wisest move Mustang made was to establish a railway system through Ishval to Xing.

"His Highness Ling Yao-" Pride paused for a split second as Greed perked up from his bored slouch at Ling's name. "-became emperor about a year after the Promised Day. Emperor Yao made it a priority to improve relations between Amestris and Xing. His time in this country, and learning about Amestris from Teacher, convinced him that an alliance would be beneficial to both countries, but one of the primary reasons why there's never been much contact between the two is because of the Great Desert which divides us. The solution: Build a railway.

"Xingese merchants always favoured traveling to Amestris by a southern route that crosses through Ishval. I guess it's less rugged and there are more places to stop for water. In any event, it made the most sense to build the new railway along that route, but there was some political squabbling about needing to go through Ishval. I'm simplifying it, of course, but the Ishvalans finally had authority over their own country again and they didn't want to just bow down to Amestris by allowing the railway to pass through their land without having control over it. And a lot of Amestrians objected to the idea of having trade with Xing controlled by Ishval. Some of the old prejudices lingered. People worried that the Ishvalans might stockpile weapons if Amestris allowed them to control their own trade.

"Instead of bowing to public opinion, Mustang negotiated fairly with the Ishvalans and reached a compromise: The Amestrian-Xingese Railway would pass through Ishval, but the Ishvalans could impose a duty on all merchandise traveling into and out of their country, while they agreed to not prevent the trains from running except for the sake of national security. The Ishvalans were recruited as the primary workforce in its construction and were paid quite well; besides just being hardworking, they've always been a desert people and so they were far more suited to work in the heat and dust than any Amestrians. The new trade route gave them a concrete base to build their new economy, and in fact, all three countries have benefited greatly."

Pride paused for a moment, frowning as he tried to remember another detail that fit into the story.

"I know I've forgotten something… Um…"

"The State Alchemists," Ed supplied from across the room.

"Oh, that's right! Thanks, Big Brother!

"The State Alchemy program was a way to find alchemists who could become sacrifices, but after the Promised Day, that was no longer necessary. The public has always disparaged State Alchemists. Alchemists are supposed to be for the people, but State Alchemists sell their talents for special privileges and have no choice but to use their powers to take life if ordered to do so.

"In one of many reforms to the military aimed at regaining the public's trust, State Alchemists can no longer be compelled to participate in combat. The program wasn't entirely abolished, since it still serves an important function in terms of defence and research, but at least the State Alchemist no longer has to worry about being forced to become a living weapon.

"Also, recognizing the potential benefit of studying other forms of alchemy, Amestris and Xing established a formal alchemy exchange program. Starting in 1919, teachers of Amestrian alchemy traveled to Xing to serve in Xing's academies, and Xingese alkahestrists traveled here to teach in our universities. Teacher was one of the first alchemy teachers in Xing!" Pride beamed with pride at Alphonse. "And the Elrics' teacher, Mrs. Curtis, was one as well. She's still in Xing, isn't she?"

"That's right," Alphonse said. "If she wasn't, well…"

Beside him, Ed shuddered. "We'd be dead, no question. I just pray she likes Xing enough to stay there! If she ever discovers that we did this…"

The brothers shared a moment of terrified trembling as they pictured their teacher's rage.

"…she'd kill us!"

Greed spared a moment to chuckle at their expense, remembering the fiery woman who had helped in the fight against Father. No doubt she was a force to be reckoned with! Envy merely eyed them in surprise, for he couldn't remember any instance where they had shown fear without reservation, before switching to disgust with them for expressing such a plainly weak emotion.

"I think that's everything in terms of Amestris," Pride said, tapping a finger against his lips. "My story's a lot simpler.

"When the fight was over, Big Brother rescued me from underneath the city and took me to Mother. To explain my appearance, he told her as much as he could: that I was an artificial human created by the higher-ups to spy on King Bradley to assist with their plot. And that, living with them and being treated as their own son, I had had the opportunity to experience humanity.

"Big Brother didn't know what would happen to me – whether I was still Pride, whether I still had any powers or not, whether I would grow – but he couldn't just leave me to die and he couldn't lie to Mother about me being dead when I wasn't. It was too cruel for her to lose both husband and son at the same time. He knew that she would want to raise me again, that what I was wouldn't matter to her. Big Brother's decision was highly criticized by his superiors; even if he couldn't kill me, he shouldn't have taken me to Mother. Instead, he should have left the decision with them. Then they could have killed me themselves or figured something else out without getting the Fuhrer's widow involved. But once she knew, it was too late to do anything else and they were stuck with me.

"Mother and I lived in the Fuhrer's residence at Central Command for a little more than two years. I aged like a normal child and I didn't show any hint of having my old powers or that I remembered anything. My only difference was the dot on my forehead. I was always watched, though, and I was never allowed to leave the command centre. Selim Bradley was supposed to have died in the coup, so they didn't want to risk that someone would recognize me and question who I was."

"You said you began to remember everything after two years," Lust interrupted.

Pride nodded and shrugged. "More or less." He shook his head at the memory. "Even though they knew that I'd been faking being a child for all those years before, the military _still_ didn't realize that I might be tricking them again. It's insulting, really, that they underestimated me like that. Very stupid on their part."

Ed sent a sharp look at his pupil and Pride blushed and ducked his head, muttering an apology before continuing.

"My memories came back slowly and it took a while for my mind to return to what it was, so as a two-year old, I didn't particularly care all that much about the past and what had happened. But at least I had the presence of mind to keep the memories a secret. I continued to act as a child and lied in the right places to maintain the deception, but I did it more for Mother's sake.

"Mother didn't like living at Central Command. I don't know how she did it or how long it took her, but she eventually convinced Fuhrer Grumman to allow us to move. We moved to this home near Dublith in the early spring of 1918."

He hesitated for a moment, struggling to figure out how to explain the next part, before deciding that he might as well just say it and see how they reacted.

"A few months later, a little after my third birthday, I told Mother everything: That I remembered who I was and that I had been lying to her."

Their reactions were as he expected: Greed raised his eyebrows in surprise, Lust shook her head, mystified by the decision, and Envy bluntly blurted out, "Why?"

"I know it doesn't make any sense, but I did it, okay? I couldn't stand lying to Mother anymore! My choices were either tell her eventually or fake it for the rest of my life! There's a big difference between deceiving people because you have a specific goal and deceiving them because there's no other choice! I didn't _want_ to lie forever."

"But the risk," Lust said. "She could have gone straight to the military and told them everything."

"I know!" Pride replied. "I knew all about the risk. It wasn't that she _might_ have, it's that she _should have_; Mother should have told them as soon as I confessed everything. I thought that's what she would do, and I didn't want her to, but it didn't matter because I _had_ to tell her!"

It was quite clear that they didn't understand. If he'd expected Ms. Bradley to turn him in, why on earth had he done it?

Pride couldn't explain it and realized, looking at them, that it wasn't something that _could_ be explained.

"It doesn't matter, because Mother didn't turn me in. She listened to me and accepted what I said and promised to keep my secret."

"Stupid woman," Envy muttered under his breath.

Pride heard him and glared. "Mother wasn't being stupid, she was being _selfless_. I'm still her son and she was protecting the only family she had left!"

His green-haired brother merely scoffed and rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what I said, isn't it? Selfless, stupid... They're the same thing."

Pride swallowed a retort that would only result in further argument. Now was not the time to be picking a fight, so he fell back on his old failsafe technique: haughtily ignore his brother as if he were too insignificant to notice.

Worked like a charm. Envy didn't look happy, but at least he didn't say anything else.

"I told Mother that I wanted to see the Elric brothers," he said, continuing the story. "At that point, I didn't know what had happened after Big Brother defeated me. I knew that the plan had failed because the humans were still alive, but I didn't know if any of you had survived and I wanted to hear what happened directly from them. Big Brother spared my life, so I knew that if anyone could tell me everything without wanting to kill me, it would be him.

"Big Brother was in Creta and Teacher was in Xing at the time, but after a few months, they returned to Amestris and came to see me and I told them the same things I'd told Mother. And they told me what had happened and they believed me when I said I wasn't the same person anymore and they agreed to teach me alchemy."

"Surely you're not serious!" Lust exclaimed.

"Morons," Envy muttered.

Greed spoke over them, directing his comment at Edward. "Is he joking? You were convinced _that_ quickly? Geez, I can't believe you guys! You're _too_ nice!"

At their astonishment, Ed went on the defensive.

"No, it wasn't like that! I mean, well, it _was_ a quick decision, but it wasn't like…" He flushed at the mocking grin Greed was sending his way. "It wasn't like I didn't have reasons, Greed!

"Look: When I fought Selim, I went directly into his Philosopher's Stone. I saw into his soul, and when he thought I was going to kill him, it wasn't your father that he remembered; it was the Bradleys, his adopted parents."

Pride blushed and looked down at his shoes, incredibly embarrassed to have the intimate detail shared out loud. He had never admitted before, to any of them, how much he had enjoyed playing house with Wrath and his adopted step-mother; it was a shameful thing for a Homunculus to admit.

"Selim risked his life when he asked to speak to us, all because he wanted to know what happened to you. Madam Bradley might not have told the military, but to trust _me_, a former State Alchemist…? Al had studied alkahestry, so he knew Selim's Stone didn't have any more souls and that he was powerless. If he was going to try to recreate the same destruction, his actions didn't make sense. Why tell Ms. Bradley the truth? Why tell _us_ the truth? Surely there were better lies, smarter lies, to trick us and get us to help him without our knowing it.

"It was _my_ fault that Selim survived at all. I refused to kill him. Thanks to me, he has to live like this. I don't regret the decision, but I _am _the one who put him into this situation, and that makes me responsible to help him if I can. And the best way to help him was to take him on as an apprentice."

Edward rose then, moving around the furniture to join Pride at the table. He hadn't planned on saying so much, but now that he'd started, he figured he might as well continue the explanation and the Homunculi would get sore necks if they kept twisting around to look at him. Pride looked grateful for the break and immediately stood up to give Ed a place to sit, moving to perch on the couch's arm right beside Lust.

"I know the difficulty of becoming an ordinary human all too well," Ed said. "In order to get Al's body back, I had to give up my ability to use alchemy, so I was sympathetic to Selim's plight."

He had to pause at Lust and Envy's startled exclamations, but waved their questions aside.

"Yes, I'm no longer an alchemist. That was the trade: Al gave his soul to get my arm back, and I gave up my Portal of Truth in order to bring Al back.

"By teaching Selim alchemy, he would have something to replace what he'd lost as a Homunculus. It would give him something to focus on, a purpose. We'd be able to keep a close eye on him, just to be on the safe side and, because we became his teachers, the military was willing to relax its guard over him. They used to send soldiers every month to check on things, but now Ms. Bradley just gets a few courtesy calls every once in a while."

Ed scratched his chin thoughtfully, wondering if the Homunculi would care about the new alchemy they were working on. He doubted it, but it was a good lead into the next topic.

"Al and I have been traveling and studying different kinds of alchemy. I spent some time in the West, and Al's been to the East. We've still got the Chimeras, Zampano and Jerso, to help – we're pretty sure we can return them to their original bodies now – and we wanted to make sure that what you guys did can never be repeated."

Ed frowned briefly, then, deciding to leave the past in the past, shook his head and smiled at Pride, reaching over to tousle the boy's hair.

"Selim's been an amazing study. He was the first to realize that we could bring you back, and he had the basic theory laid out before he even broached the idea to us."

Pride protested at that.

"I barely did anything! If it weren't for you two, I never would have been able to figure out how to use the reverse alkahestric pentagon to tie in with my Stone!"

"But it was _your _idea to use the Stone's pentagon and the soul-binding octagram together," Al countered. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Selim! And we needed you to explain the Homunculi's souls. No one else could have come up with that part."

Pride beamed at the praise.

Lust straightened a bit in her seat. This was what she was most interested in: how they had brought them back.

"'Explain our souls'? What do you mean?" she asked, turning to face the boy seated beside her. "You said that you would tell us how you did it, so start explaining. You've wasted more than enough time already!" Her words came out crisp and demanding.

Pride hesitated and Edward slouched on the table, rubbing his chin with a pensive look.

Lust misinterpreted the gestures to mean that they were having mixed thoughts.

"…Well?" she prompted impatiently.

"It's not that we're not going to tell you, it's just that it's hard to explain," Alphonse said from his place behind her.

"You're not alchemists, and this is a new branch of alchemy. It's hard to know where to even begin," Ed said.

"I'll try," Pride said, "and I'll keep it as simple as I can, but it'll be easier if no one interrupts."

He sat up straighter on the couch arm, taking stock of his audience before beginning. Lust was watching him keenly but with thinly veiled irritation. Because of the couch's size, she had one arm up and leaning against Gluttony's shoulder (He was the perfect height for an elbow rest.) with her fingers curled against the side of her face. Her other hand rested in her lap, fingers tapping her leg impatiently as she waited on him. Gluttony looked at Pride with his beady eyes, waiting for whatever words would come next that he wouldn't understand and probably hoping that a mid-afternoon meal was on its way. At least he was _trying_ to follow the conversation; Sloth was currently blowing sleep bubbles and had likely nodded off long ago without anyone noticing. Greed sat slouched beside him, looking bored but paying attention nonetheless. And Envy, hunched in his own chair with one leg crossed, elbow on knee and chin in hand, still looked sour, but he couldn't completely hide his curiosity.

"The first thing to explain is why I suspected that it was possible to bring you back in the first place.

"First of all, we know how human transmutation works. Or at least how it fails to work. An alchemist can create a body using chemical ingredients, but there's nothing that can be exchanged for the soul that will be adequate to bring the dead person back. Souls can't be created. If a soul has passed from this world, it can't be brought back. The alchemist could offer their own blood as a template and use all of their memories of the person to try to recreate the soul, but it simply won't be enough. That's why the soul is so valuable: it can't be created by human effort.

"No one knows for sure what happens to a person after death. We know that humans are made up of three parts: the body, the soul, and the spirit. All three parts are intricately connected. Upon death, the body is left here and re-enters the food cycle as its biological components. The soul is freed to continue on to the afterlife, whatever that may be. The spirit presumably dissolves once it's no longer needed to connect the body and soul. But these three parts aren't rigid; Teacher had his soul bound to an inanimate object and he was able to move it as a substitute body, even while his real body was in another place. The humans were able to reverse the Amestrian Philosopher's Stone and return the souls of the Amestrians to their bodies, so we know that a body can survive without its soul at least for a while.

"My point is, even though there's a general rule for what happens at death, that rule _can_ be broken. We proved that just as much as anyone!"

Pride gave a short laugh and the group nodded. They had all cheated the ordinary flow of death numerous times, thanks to the Philosopher's Stone.

"If a human's soul can remain in this world without its body, then what about us? What rules govern our souls?"

Envy answered. "None. We don't have souls," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh? Are you _sure_?" Pride asked with a slightly teasing tone.

The shape-shifter blinked and paused, suddenly not so certain. He glanced over at Lust, who was frowning pensively.

"We don't have souls," she murmured, thinking out loud. "Or at least not real ones. We aren't human; humans are the only beings that have souls. Ours are just imitations… Copies created by the Stone by Father…"

Pride shook his head emphatically.

"But we _do_ have souls!" he exclaimed before adopting a lecturing tone. "Think about it: Father came into this world through Hohenheim's blood. Father carried the seven sins of humanity, which he had to sever from himself in order to become God. His origin may not have been entirely human, but we all contain at least a seed of humanity in us. His soul wasn't just a copy of Hohenheim's; Father had knowledge from beyond this world, so he had his own soul before he ever came here. And he gave us parts of his own soul, which means that we have our own souls too.

"The soul contains a person's personality and memories and everything about them that makes them unique. And can any of us say that we weren't unique? We grew and changed over the years, had different opinions, were even able to rebel-" Pride shot a look at Greed. "-were motivated by different things, had different memories… If we were just created by the Philosopher's Stone, we'd be like those mannequin dolls. They couldn't think on their own because they were only powered by souls that weren't _theirs_, whereas _we_ had something original, something that gave us our own identity.

"But that doesn't mean that we didn't also share things. Even though we're individuals, we were also each one part of a whole. Our Stones were a part of Father's Stone. Our souls were a part of Father's soul. Our Stones created and maintained our bodies and housed our souls, but there still needed to be a spirit to connect the two. How do you create a spirit? It'd be the same as the alchemist trying to create a soul; it can't be done. So then, doesn't it make sense that Father would have given us a part of his spirit, just like our Stones and souls?"

Pride grinned proudly, waiting for one of them to suddenly understand the implications of what he'd just said, but it seemed he was giving them too much credit. He looked at Greed, who merely shrugged his shoulders at the expectant look on his older brother's face. He looked at Lust, whose eyes were introspectively considering his words but not coming to any conclusions. And before he could even look at Envy, his younger brother slouched back in his chair and said, "So what? I don't see how that's important."

Pride sighed in disappointment and Edward chuckled.

"Now come on, Selim. I'm sure _you_ didn't see the connection right away either. You can't blame them for not seeing it; they're not even alchemists."

"I know," he admitted, "but it seems so obvious once you know it…"

"Well, excuuuse us for being so slow, oh great prodigy '_Selim'_!" Envy retorted.

Rather than take offence at his tone, Pride magnanimously tilted his head in Envy's direction as if to say, _Yes, you're slow, but I forgive you._

"It means that, just like Big Brother and Teacher, our spirits are connected. Teacher's body didn't die while he was in the realm of Truth because their spirits were tangled together. _I'm_ still alive and Father didn't die; he was just taken back to Truth. Our spirits tie in with our Stones, not our bodies, so even though you no longer had bodies, you continued to exist!"

Envy continued to frown and Greed wore a puzzled expression, but Lust gasped in sudden understanding. Pride grinned at the look on her face, half bewildered and half amazed.

"I can't believe it. That actually makes sense!" she breathed.

"No it doesn't! How can our spirits being connected have anything to do with us not dying?" Envy demanded. "I don't care about the rest of you, but _I_ certainly don't remember being alive for the past six years!"

"Well of course you wouldn't remember anything," Pride said. "If you didn't have a body, how could you experience anything _to_ remember?"

"But if we didn't have bodies, how could we even-"

"Let me finish," Pride interrupted. "There's a second reason to explain why you didn't die.

"The world can be seen as a great macrocosm, a huge and complex cycle of matter and life. Plants are eaten by herbivores which are eaten by carnivores, and when the carnivore dies, its body becomes food for the plants and the cycle begins anew. Matter can't be taken away or added to the world's cycle… except with the Philosopher's Stone. The Stone works on the principle that human souls, which are immaterial and uniquely created by humans, are of such high value that new matter can be created in exchange for those souls. That's the only exception to the world's laws… Aside from us, that is.

"We existed through the Stone's power, but it's not like we were _created_ by the Stone; it just gave us a means by which to live. A part of us came from Truth, just like Father. So what do you think the world would make of us?"

The question seemed rhetorical, but he waited as if wanting one of them to answer.

"… It… wouldn't know what to do with us," Lust ventured. "We would be an aberration."

"Exactly!" Pride said, pointing his finger at her excitedly. "We came into the world through an unnatural process! Our core, the part of us not supported by the Philosopher's Stone, would be an exception that the world wouldn't know how to handle. We aren't a part of the natural cycle, so the world didn't know what to do with your deaths. Your bodies didn't remain, so they couldn't be added to the food cycle. We weren't human, so our souls couldn't be sent on to the afterlife, but our souls also couldn't be used in any other way. They couldn't be returned to Truth, because Truth only opens for an alchemist who's trying to create a soul."

"So… You're saying our souls were in limbo?" Greed asked with a sceptically raised eyebrow.

"Well, that's not a very scientific term for it, but yeah. And we used alchemy to get you _out_ of limbo."

"Alchemy, huh? I have a feeling that this is going to get even _more _complicated…" Greed muttered. Despite their differences, Envy seemed inclined for once to agree with him.

"I'll try to keep it simple," Pride promised before going on.

"The first thing we had to do was create your bodies. Well, the steps all happened at once, actually, but whatever. Creating the bodies really wasn't very hard, since bodies are pretty simple in terms of composition. We tried to make them as close as possible to what you had before, because otherwise the soul might not bind well. That was always the risk with the armour binding: if the soul doesn't 'match' the body it's in, there's the possibility that it will be rejected at some point. But obviously some things had to be different. Gluttony just has a regular stomach now. Sloth isn't a giant. Since this was Greed's last body, we thought that's what his soul would be most comfortable in. Envy, you were actually the hardest, since your body wasn't actually your _real body_. It's kind of lucky, in a way, that Teacher and Big Brother saw your true form, since I've never seen it."

Envy wriggled uncomfortably in his seat, not quite sure where Pride was going with this.

"If we'd just made your body to be the form you like, there was a real chance that your soul'd reject it. But we knew you wouldn't want to live the way you were in your true form either."

"What're you getting at, Pride?" he asked irritably.

Pride didn't answer directly. Instead, he gestured, pointing a hand at the back of his neck and then at Envy.

Confused, the shape-shifter stared at his brother with a quirked eyebrow, then reached back to feel at the base of his neck.

He started in surprise at what he felt and, ignoring the others, ran his hand along more slowly, lifting the collar of his top to feel underneath the fabric.

It was a lump.

Not a large lump, and with his long hair and shirt, probably not noticeable to anyone else unless they were looking for it, but touching the thing sent creepy shivers down his spine, as if he were running his hand along a bundle of nerves.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded with a wide-eyed look.

"You don't remember?" Pride asked. "It's your real body. We created two bodies for you: your true body and your preferred form. Since – no offence – you're kind of a parasite, we put your soul in your true body and then let you assimilate your preferred body."

Envy scowled at the word and continued to feel the lump anxiously, but now that Pride mentioned it, he could vaguely recall waking up in his tiny, powerless form. And, thinking that he was in danger, he'd gone straight for the human body lying next to him. It was almost ironic, now that he thought about it, that he hadn't recognized the body as his own cute human form. No wonder he hadn't had to fight the body's owner for control; it was basically a doll without any consciousness of its own.

"You're saying that you created our bodies, but I thought that counted as human transmutation," Lust said.

"Nuh-uh," Pride said, shaking his head emphatically. "Just transmuting a body doesn't count. Look at the Chimeras. Their bodies were transmuted and it didn't open the Portal. Same as the mannequin soldiers. Their bodies were created long before the souls were bonded to them and it didn't open the Portal either. Alkahestry has the ability to heal injuries, and that's transmuting a body too. In the end, bodies are just lifeless hunks of meat. It isn't until soul _creation _is involved that it becomes the taboo. Even the armoured prisoners didn't open the Portal, because their souls were just being manipulated in this world.

"The next step was to gather your souls. That was probably the trickiest part. We used a mix of alkahestry, my own Stone, and the lunar eclipse. Alkahestry specializes in long-range alchemy and the manipulation of energy. Combined with my Stone, we essentially pulled your souls and spirits to your bodies through me."

The Homunculi stared at him for a long moment, trying and failing to understand what he'd just said.

"… Come again?" Greed said, glancing to Edward for help.

Pride made a hurt look – he had simplified the idea as much as he could – but Ed accepted the challenge of explaining the science to an audience of non-alchemists if only to give the boy a break.

"There's really no way to put this in a way that will make sense. Because your souls, spirits, and Stones share a connection, we were able to use Selim as a… 'anchor' might be the best word for it… Uh, what would make a good analogy...?" He sighed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess there's nothing in real life that- No! Okay, I've got something, though it might not work very well. Picture a spider web. You've got the main threads that connect to the surrounding plants as the anchors, and the points on the web where threads intersect." Ed's hand traced through the air as he spoke, drawing an imaginary diagram to accompany his words. "Pretend that you all were a seven-pointed web. Each point is you, your Stone and soul. And the threads that connect the points are your spirits. The point that is you has a thread from you to every other point. When you died, the points disappeared, but the threads connected to Selim continued to exist. So we took the ends of those threads and brought the ends to _his_ point, looping them through his Stone."

Edward looked quite pleased with the explanation, but only Lust seemed somewhat satisfied with it.

"… That was the suckiest analogy I've ever heard," Envy said in exasperation.

"Sorry, but that's the best I've got. We _said_ it was complicated! It's not my fault if you don't get it!"

"You calling me stupid, Pipsqueak?!"

"Calm down, Envy," Lust ordered calmly. "The points make sense, but what does it mean that you looped them through Pride's Stone?" she asked curiously.

"Well, another way to look at it is that we performed soul-binding, but with bodies instead of armour. Selim's Stone is the blood seal. It might not have any power anymore, but you couldn't exist without the Stone. The Stone is a natural repository for souls, so we've placed your souls in it and threaded your spirits out to connect to your bodies."

"Wait." Greed turned in his seat to look at Alphonse. "Is that what you meant before? That my soul wasn't in my body?"

"That's right. Your souls aren't in your bodies. They're connected by the spirit through alkahestry. Alkahestry is based on the principle of using the flow of energy to affect things far away. By harnessing the power of the eclipse, we have a self-adjusting, continuous alchemic flow."

Alphonse's words did little to clear up the confusion on Greed and Envy's part, but at least Lust was following along.

"And why was the eclipse necessary?" she prompted.

"The eclipse was the most important part!" Pride declared. "Even with all our other calculations, without it we couldn't have brought you back!

"The eclipse is a very powerful alchemic symbol. The sun represents the soul. The moon represents the spirit, and the earth represents the body. Father needed the solar eclipse to open the planet's Portal of Truth. By combining the soul and the spirit, the solar eclipse represents the perfect being: God. A lunar eclipse is different. The solar eclipse represents the natural order of body, spirit, and soul, but a lunar eclipse lines up soul, body, and spirit. The sun is on one side of the earth and the moon is on the other side, with the earth right in the middle. The earth – the body – casts its shadow over the moon; over the spirit."

"What does that mean?" Lust asked.

"It means that, during a lunar eclipse, the spirit is at its weakest, its most malleable," Ed answered. "We're scientists, so we don't believe in this the way it's meant, but people have always believed that a full moon increases psychic ability, making it easier to access the spirit world. With a lunar eclipse, the spirit is overshadowed by the soul and body, making it easier to bend it in ways that it normally wouldn't go. Thanks to the eclipse, we were able to bring your souls and spirits back, we were able to bind you to your bodies and Selim's Stone, and we were even able to influence Envy's parasitic ability so that he's not split between two bodies."

_That's right_, Envy realized. _When I took control of that man in the North, I was just pulling his strings. It's not as if I saw out of his eyes or spoke with his voice. This way's practically the same as before. _For the briefest of moments, he almost felt… He wasn't sure what it was called – G_rateful_? Wasn't that the word for it? – before forcing the unfamiliar emotion down under the much more appropriate and familiar scorn that the Elrics had made such an effort on his behalf. And just to reinforce the feeling, he proceeded to mock them.

"You've put an awful lot of thought into this, huh?" he said, giving his large and overly friendly smile. "Very kind of you. Really. But don't you think it's a little stupid to be helping your enemies? It's one thing to teach him alchemy, but to help him bring us back? Who's to say we won't turn around and stab you in the back?"

Pride glared at Envy angrily. Somewhere behind him, he heard Alphonse sigh. But Edward didn't seem at all put off by the question. Instead, he sidestepped the issue by asking a question of his own.

"Is that what you'd like to do? Kill us? I don't believe it, but go ahead and try if that's what you want."

_Wha…? _Envy stared stupidly at the golden-haired man seated across from him even as Pride objected in his shrill voice and Greed tensed, ready to protect the now ordinary non-alchemist. Ed's eyes met his with a steadiness that was both unnerving and aggravating. Fullmetal thought Envy wasn't going to attack him, _knew_ it, and didn't see any reason to be worried even if he did. Envy's purple eyes slid around the circle and he realized, horribly, that there was nothing he could do even if he wanted to. Both Elric brothers were skilled fighters. Alphonse still had his alchemy and even if Ed did not, without his own shape-shifting, Envy wasn't skilled enough to stand against him. Greed was on the humans' side and was a skilled fighter even without his Ultimate Shield. He didn't know who Pride would side with, though the child monster was virtually harmless now anyway. And Lust, well, what could she do without her Ultimate Spear? Gluttony was equally useless, and Sloth, no longer a moving tank, was too slow to make use of his muscles even if he could be dragged into the fight.

It didn't help that Ed was right. Envy was angry, yes, and frustrated, and confused, and more than a little disgusted by the Elrics' actions, but he didn't really want to kill them.

Annoyed that his taunt hadn't produced the result he'd expected, he muttered something unintelligible and sullenly sank back into the chair.

"You're right," Edward said. "Maybe it _was_ stupid of us to do this. Maybe we've just been hopelessly optimistic to think that you all can change, and the instant our backs are turned, you'll kill us. Maybe Selim's a more incredible liar than we've given him credit for-"

"I'm _not_ lying!"

"-and he's tricked us so that you can recreate the same destruction you plotted last time. And if that's the case, we'll have to accept responsibility for whatever happens. But I don't think so.

"Don't get me wrong; this wasn't our idea, nor were we the ones who thought it should be done. Selim is the only one you should be thanking. He was brave enough to ask for our help in the first place when he knew we wouldn't agree and that it would put him under suspicion. He was stubborn enough to continue asking despite our opposition, even when we threatened to stop teaching him alchemy if he refused to give up the idea. It took him an entire year to wear us down with arguing and debating and cajoling and begging. I can't even tell you all of the arguments he used. That we were willing to give him a second chance, so why not you? That none of you chose to be the way you were and that you were just used by your father for his own ends. That you'd proven you had good sides: Greed, having friends and protecting them; Gluttony and Lust being so close; Wrath marrying a human; Selim enjoying his time pretending to be a child. That we committed the taboo and Selim had the right to make the same attempt to bring back his family. That he would try even if we refused to help him. That if it was possible to bring you back and we didn't, wasn't that the same as condemning you to death?

"I could go on, but the point is that it wasn't a quick or easy decision. I know it'll be hard and we can't expect you to accept it right away. You've always believed that Homunculi are superior to humans, but please just listen to Selim. Give it a chance. Being a human isn't all that bad, right?"

Pride nodded. He looked at his brothers and sister anxiously. Their reactions, if not encouraging, at least weren't disheartening.

Greed met his eyes and shrugged nonchalantly. He'd always bragged about his Ultimate Shield, had enjoyed showing off his immortality to impress his human henchmen, but the loss of those things wasn't the end of the world. He was willing to accept the change. After all, if you were dead, you couldn't possess anything. He had to be alive in order to satisfy his avarice. He had been satisfied by having good friends and no matter what Alphonse said, he'd see Ling again, and trains and deserts and border crossings and pesky 'chi' could just shove it!

Envy refused to meet Pride's eyes, scowling at the chair arm. It was hard to tell if he was deep in thought, trying to come to terms with the idea of being human, or if he was stewing in the cesspool of hatred and contempt that was his jealousy. He would be the hardest to win over, but as long as they could keep his cruel streak to a minimum, it wouldn't be so bad.

Lust didn't meet his eyes either, but it was quite clear that she was deep in thought, balancing the arguments Ed had just listed, considering the situation in her calm and deliberate way. Pride felt admiration well up for her attitude. It wouldn't matter to Lust if she liked the prospect of being human or not; she would approach it as something to be overcome with the same self-confidence and assurance with which she handled everything, hiding any reservations or hesitations under her sultry smirk.

Even as he watched her, though, Pride saw her lips turn down and a small frown mar her brow. And after a few more seconds, she looked up at Edward and voiced her concern.

"There's something I don't understand. You said that Pride's Stone is the blood seal." She waited for their nod before continuing, "Then what will happen to us if Pride dies?"

Pride's mouth fell open. "What? What makes you think I'm gonna' die? I'm only six, Lust!"

"I don't mean that it's likely, but if our souls are tied to your Stone, doesn't that mean that we'll all die if you do?" she calmly pointed out.

Pride didn't know what to say. He hadn't even considered it. But for all that he hadn't thought about it, apparently his mentors _had_, for Alphonse addressed the question quickly.

"That's true," he said. "We can't be positive without trying it, but Selim's Stone is what kept you from dying and it's what's holding you in the world now, so if his Stone is destroyed, you'll probably die too."

The looks the three intelligent Homunculi shot in his direction were not encouraging, and Pride's hand unconsciously rose to press against his chest, feeling the faint pulses of power from his Stone that accompanied his heartbeat.

"But there wasn't anything we could do about it. Brother and I discussed it and I've theorized that, with time, your souls may eventually become free of the Stone and bind to your bodies the way they do in humans, but it's too early yet to know if that will happen. To be fair, Selim _is_ the youngest among you physically, so his death shouldn't be something to worry about, and humans have to live knowing that they could die at any time."

"Think of it as a warning, then," Ed said, leaning back on the table and waving a hand airily. "Looking after Selim is the same as looking after yourselves. Don't let him do anything stupid or he'll take you down with him."

Maybe he meant it as a joke, but no one laughed. Greed frowned because it meant he wasn't as free as he'd imagined. Envy frowned because it meant he had to be worried about someone else's skin besides his own. And Lust frowned because she saw the most serious implication of all: If they tried to cause trouble and the humans discovered it, they only had to kill Pride to defeat them. He would become the weak link that they had to protect, a severe handicap.

The news sent a sombre pall over the room. Pride fidgeted on his seat, disliking the silence, but he didn't know what else to say. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't die – that _was _a part of being human – and they had explained everything that needed to be explained. So now what?

He was more than a little surprised when Gluttony spoke up.

Pride had assumed that Gluttony hadn't been listening to their conversation or at least that he hadn't understood any of it, and actually, his question didn't prove that he had been doing either, but to a certain extent, he deserved some credit for noticing what none of the others had.

"Lust, where's Wrath?"

The Homunculi all looked around in surprise as they realized they hadn't even noticed the absence of their youngest sibling. Envy and Greed spoke over each another.

"Huh, you're right. He's not here. What's the matter, Pride? Didn't want your fake father-figure around?"

"Hey, that's right! Where _is_ that bastard? You'd better not have brought him back! He's not getting away with killing old man Fu this time!"

"No, we didn't bring Wrath back," Pride said. "I'm sorry, Gluttony, but we couldn't have even if we'd wanted to. Wrath wasn't like the rest of us." He tried to explain it to Gluttony gently, for the round Homunculus looked saddened by the news. "Wrath was originally a human. He had his own soul, a human soul, and he died a natural death as a human. He was bound to the natural flow of the world and passed on as all humans do. Attempting to bring him back would definitely have been human transmutation.

"Besides…" Pride paused a moment, picking his words carefully. "I don't think Wrath would have wanted to come back. We weren't all that close, but I know he didn't regret anything. He lived the path that Father set out for him and knew that his life made a difference in the world. He knew that he would die eventually, even while he had to watch the rest of us scorn death as if it didn't matter. There was nothing Wrath respected more than the struggle between life and death, and he wouldn't have wanted to cheat death by being brought back this way."

He wasn't sure whether Gluttony understood the explanation, but he seemed satisfied with it nonetheless and the others didn't object to his reasoning. After all, Pride had been the one closest to Wrath – as much as that didn't mean much.

"Is there anything else you want to ask about?" Edward asked the group. "Now's your chance."

He allowed a few more minutes to pass, but no one said anything. Pulling out the silver State Alchemist pocket watch, he flipped it open and grumbled at the time.

"Already that late, huh? Guess we might as well get started on supper then. I don't know about anyone else-" He paused mid-sentence to cover an enormous yawn. "-but I want to get to bed early tonight."

"You sound like an old man, "Al laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered as he stood up. "Feel free to wander around and explore the place," he said to the Homunculi. "Selim, you should call Atelier Garfiel to let Madam Bradley know everything's all right. She knew last night was the lunar eclipse, so she's probably worried sick about you."

"Right!" Pride chirped, and without further ado, he jumped down from the chair arm and darted from the room, clearly signalling that the meeting was at its end. Edward headed for the kitchen and Alphonse rose to follow his brother.

After a few moments of uncertainty as to what they were supposed to do now, Greed shrugged and got up, heading for the nearest door to prowl the mansion's grounds. Lust and Envy shared a look and rose to follow Edward's advice of familiarizing themselves with their new home and naturally Gluttony tagged along behind them.

Sloth was the only one who didn't move.

Still asleep, it wasn't until a few hours later that Pride came to wake him up for supper. The hulking man was quite content to bask in the warm summer sunlight streaming through the living room window.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Edward and Alphonse's involvement_: This is the part that I admit is least realistic, but I also don't believe it is impossible. Consider Alphonse's speech to Kimblee in Episode 52 about humanity needing to search for new possibilities without being bound by rules in order to advance. (I always considered that speech to be hypocritical; Father and the Homunculi are doing exactly what Alphonse says is necessary for humans to do.) I don't believe Edward would have killed Envy even if his injuries hadn't been so grave (although he probably wouldn't have stopped Hawkeye from killing Envy if he hadn't committed suicide first). Although Gluttony was attacking them, there was clear horror and anger on the humans' part when Pride ate his brother. Edward made friends with Greed and was obviously grieved by his death. Despite being enemies, I think the Elrics could have considered the Homunculi to be victims almost as much as the people they killed, forced to bear their father's sins. As scientists, could Ed and Al truly have ignored the possibility of bringing them back to life when their new theories convinced them that it could be done? I believe that their compassion for Selim's position, their desire to prove their theories, their belief that the Homunculi were manipulated just as much as they were manipulators, and the fact that the Homunculi would be powerless and mortal are all factors that make their involvement in reviving them at least not entirely impossible. And Fuhrer Grumman's final comment of "Will humans and Homunculi ever truly be able to relate to each other?" (Note the plural._)_ makes it definitely seem to me that the Homunculi weren't meant to be gone for good.

_Fuhrer Grumman and Major General Armstrong_: I see many stories placing Armstrong as Fuhrer in the years after Grumman retires, but I consider this unlikely. It gets more mention in the manga, but Armstrong's forces killed a lot of Central soldiers. Even though she was acting for the country's good, the citizenry would have a hard time accepting the killing of her own country's soldiers when they were just innocently following orders, reducing her popularity outside the Northern forces. As Amestris struggles for democracy and peace, Armstrong's personality would not make the best match for the country's future. Meanwhile, Mustang is praised as a hero who stopped the sinister plot without killing any innocents (soldiers included). He was also Grumman's subordinate and friend, so it is more likely that Grumman would try to position Mustang to replace him. Whereas Mustang becomes integral to Ishval's restoration (earning him points in the public's eyes), Armstrong most likely returned to Fort Briggs to continue defending against Drachma (a responsibility she seemed especially passionate about), completely unconcerned with humanitarian causes. So although she might have the ambition to be Fuhrer, I don't think the new democratic Amestris would pick her as the best person for the job.

_The Milos_: This is a reference to the movie _Fullmetal Alchemist and the Sacred Stars of Milos_. The Milos are a group of people who, much like the Ishvalans, suffered by living on the border of the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. Their land has been fought over by Creta and Amestris for a long time and the people, caught in the middle, are forced to live in horrendous conditions in the ravine separating the two warring countries. Pride could have offered more details, but I went with the assumption that the Homunculi were already aware of them and so further explanation was unnecessary.

"_Spirit" versus "mind"_: I don't know the specific Japanese word that is translated alternately as "spirit" and "mind", but the two terms seem to be used interchangeably. The manga uses both and there are differences between the anime's subbed and dubbed versions. In the end, they serve the same purpose: representing the thing that connects the body and soul. I am using "spirit" because "spirit" to English speakers has a closer meaning than "mind" to how I am using it in this story.

_The science_: I'm sure there are good reasons why the science I've proposed here couldn't work. I don't plan to debate whether I'm right or not. At least I've tried to create some arguments that are half-believable to explain how the Homunculi were revived. And alchemy evolves all the time, right? Give me the benefit of _implausible_, not _impossible_!

_The Homunculi and Hohenheim_: I'm not really sure if all the Homunculi knew about their father's origins. When Pride first encountered Hohenheim in the tunnel, he seemed to know who the man was and later recognized the blood kinship between the Homunculi and the Elrics. Greed had the opportunity to hear the story directly from Hohenheim along with Edward. I'm merely assuming that the rest of them also know the basic history. Perhaps, if Father did not tell them directly, they inherited the information upon their births, just like their knowledge of language. I could have pretended that Envy and Lust didn't know who Hohenheim was, but I felt that just added extra bulk to the chapter when it wasn't necessary.

I feel like this chapter repeated a lot of information from the prologue, but I also felt that it was necessary to write it this way. Please comment if you think details should be trimmed from either chapter to reduce repetition. This is the end of the long opening chapters and we will now be entering the second phase of the story (refer to Chapter 1).


	6. Home: A House on the Hill

Number of words: 4,274

Published date: September 2, 2012

Began chapter: August 8, 2012

Finished chapter: August 14, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 6: Home ~ A House on the Hill**

"So… Still think Pride's tricking them?"

Lust paused in her perusal of the library's wall-length bookcase, leaving one finger resting lightly against the spine of _The Secret Garden_ as she glanced at her younger brother.

They had spent the past hour wandering through the mansion, exploring the numerous rooms and spaces, familiarizing themselves with the layout and contents of this place that was now expected to be their new home. The task had been carried out up to that point in relative silence except for the few times she had told Gluttony not to eat something (which she'd said more out of habit than anything else). Envy had poked into things like he owned the place, rudely entering rooms and riffling through drawers as if Edward's words to "feel free" had been literal, but the distraction failed to remove the scowl from his face.

Despite the sheer absurdity of the situation, Lust thought she could enjoy living here. The mansion was huge. They had already passed two bathrooms, the dining room, the living room, the grand entrance, a storage room filled with gardening tools, and a large room with a piano.

They had also explored the numerous bedrooms. Lust discovered that she was the only one whose room had received a personalized touch. Sloth and Gluttony's rooms were completely bare and Greed and Envy's rooms were only a little better. Characteristically, Envy had looked in Lust's closet with a touch of jealousy, but it would have been silly for him to complain about her getting a new wardrobe when he only ever wore the same outfit anyway. Continuing on and ignoring Lust's hesitation over invading Pride's privacy, Envy had boldly entered their eldest brother's room and with a roll of her eyes, Lust followed suit. It was the only room they had seen that contained such clear evidence of being lived in: toys were arranged in a row on the top of a dresser, papers and crayons lay scattered on the floor, and a small pile of clothes had been thrown on the bed, presumably dirty. The only evidence that the room's owner might not be an ordinary boy was the title stamped on one of the books on the table: _Nicholas Flamel's Alchemic Codex_. As Envy poked through the shelf, Lust picked up the book from the pile and found several other alchemy tomes with titles like _The Green Lion_, _The Sun and the Moon_, and _Dragons of the Mountains_. Flipping one open, they were so advanced that they may as well have been written in another language.

Envy would have entered Ms. Bradley's room too but for the fact that the bedroom was right across from the dining room, where Pride had been animatedly chatting on the phone.

"_Uh-huh, everything's fine, Mother. I'm fine. It worked exactly like we thought it would… No, they were a little… Yeah, a little upset, but it's okay… Um, happy's a strong… More like uncertain, but that's to be expected. I'm sure they'll get used to it… Yes, Big Brother and Teacher are taking good care of me… Oh, sorry. Can you wait a minute?" Pride looked up and placed his hand on the receiver. "Lust, Envy, that's Mother's room."_

"_So?" Envy replied sarcastically._

_Pride gave him a level look. "So don't go in."_

_Envy shrugged, leaving his hand on the doorknob. "She's not even here, so what's the problem?"_

_Pride's look became annoyed. "The "problem" is that you're invading her privacy. Which is disrespectful. And I told you that you'd show Mother respect."_

_They stared at each other for a few moments, Envy apparently weighing whether the argument was worth it, but then he shrugged again and released the doorknob, waving his hand at the child to continue his conversation and leading the way down the hall. They could hear Pride resume chatting behind them._

"_Sorry, Mother. I'm here again. No, it wasn't important. How are you doing at Mr. Garfiel's?... Uh-huh… Haha, that's what Big Brother says too! Yeah, a little strange… Oh, but that's good then… Um, I'm not sure. I'll have to ask Big Brother and Teacher. Maybe the day after tomorrow, but it depends on how everyone is feeling… No, I want you to come back as soon as possible too, but tomorrow might be…"_

They had left his voice behind by the time they reached the library.

Envy was referring, obviously, to what Lust had said before in an effort to reassure him and get him up for breakfast: that it was possible Pride was tricking the Elric brothers somehow. He wasn't frowning anymore. Instead, he was smirking in that fake way of his that said he was really quite anxious to hear her answer, sitting back casually on the heavy desk that took up a large portion of the room. Gluttony, not being able to read but not wanting to leave her side now that he had his Lust back, sat down on the floor and listened to their conversation silently.

"Ready to admit that you weren't asleep after all?" she teased smoothly.

Envy's smile twitched only for a second before he recovered, but he refused to either acknowledge or deny that he'd been faking sleep.

She sighed to herself before turning back to the shelf to continue looking over the books. It looked like Ms. Bradley was an avid reader, so at least they would have something in common. Recent releases were sprinkled in among older classics, and Lust had already made a mental note of a few she wanted to read.

"I don't know, Envy," she admitted after a moment. "If it _is _an act, it's very convincing." The toys littering his room, the way he'd cried when they were fighting, the fact that he'd been happy and excited to see them again, the enthusiastic manner in which he'd spoken to the Elrics and his step-mother on the phone… "But if he _is_ tricking them, I should hope he'd be convincing enough to fool us too."

Envy thought about that and then gave a grudging nod.

"It would be best not to talk about it while the Elrics are here. It wouldn't do to waste all of his efforts with a slip of the tongue," she warned.

"Yeah, yeah, Lust. I'm not stupid," he replied irritably. "… Do you think they're telling the truth?"

"About...?"

"Everything!" he exclaimed. "The plan! Father! Everything that's happened! I don't understand how you can be taking this so calmly!"

Lust straightened from the shelf, turning to face her younger brother directly. Envy had dropped the smile and she couldn't tell if his angry expression was directed at her calmness or the topic in general.

Why did he have to be so emotional all the time? Couldn't he be even a little bit rational?

"It's not that I'm taking this calmly," she said. "It's that there's no other appropriate way to act. Being upset won't solve anything or change anything."

"But-"

"I think they _are_ telling the truth," she continued, disregarding his attempt to protest. "They told me the same things last night, and I doubt Pride could trick them about an event they lived through. What's happened is over and done with and cannot be changed, so we'll just have to accept it."

"Accept it? Accept it! Lust, you agree with them?! You think we should just take this and do what they say? We can't just-"

She held her hand up, fingers pointing at his chest, cutting him off.

"Weren't you listening to Pride at all? What else can we do _except_ accept it?" Her full lips twisted wryly as she twitched her fingers at him in demonstration. No Ultimate Spear came shooting out at him and, for a second, Envy saw the same look of pain and loss that he was feeling flicker across his sister's face before being covered by her own mask. "We can't fight them. If we do, they can just kill us again, and far easier than last time. Can we recreate the Nationwide Transmutation Circle like this, without them finding out? Can we deal out revenge without the military dancing on our strings? Our only hope-" Her voice dropped in volume to little more than a whisper, mindful of potential eavesdropping. "-is that Pride is lying about not being able to bring Father back, or that he will be able to create more Philosopher's Stones using his alchemy. But until the Elrics are gone, we can't know for sure, so you will _put up with it_ _and play along_."

Envy started to reply, "Yes, _Mom_," before deciding against it. He wasn't as close to her as Gluttony was and heaven forbid he show respect to anyone, but really, he did think highly of Lust. She was the only one he didn't mind saying was smarter than he was, and whereas his two other older siblings hadn't minded killing him a few times to put him in his place in the Homunculi's hierarchy, Lust had only ever stabbed him once: when he'd royally screwed up in Fisk in 1790-something, nearly jeopardizing the rebellion she'd spent ten years working on. It had been his first real mission using his powers to impersonate someone for the purpose of deception, so maybe that was why she'd even shown mercy by only injuring rather than killing him.

Instead, he nodded reluctantly.

Lust let her hand drop, satisfied that he'd do as she said, and turned to leave the room, but his next words stopped her.

"What if it's not a trick?"

_What if Pride really has changed, and there's no way to bring Father back, and we're stuck like this, and we've got to live like this, and we're just ordinary, weak humans, and we'll never go back to being the way we were, and we can die, and…_

"… I don't know," she answered quietly. For a second, her shoulders sagged.

But then she stood up straight again, strong and tall, and when she turned to look back at him, her eyes were as sharp and cold as they'd always been.

"If we _do_ have to live as humans, at least we won't be the pathetic and foolish creatures that they are. I will_ not_ be manipulated. I am a Homunculus and I won't allow them to pull me down to their level." Her eyes clearly said that she expected the same from him as well.

It was definitely reassuring to hear those words and Envy didn't even consider the fact that she had made no mention of how they would pull that off, but Lust knew that the boast might very well end up being hollow, for she had the feeling that this wasn't something that could be fought.

* * *

While Envy and Lust explored the mansion from the inside, Greed sauntered around the grounds, exploring the mansion from the outside.

Pride had mentioned that they were located near Dublith and the name of the town nagged at the back of Greed's mind. He spent several minutes trying to remember where he'd heard the name before as he circled the mansion, skirting bushes and trees with his hands in his pockets.

The rest of what he'd just learned didn't particularly bother him. Granted, there was something disturbing about not having his Ultimate Shield, a certain vulnerability that he'd never had to experience before – for crying out loud, his jaw was still sore from where Envy had punched him! – and the fact that they might all die again if Pride died was definitely _not_ good news, but they weren't unbearable things to put up with. The worst part would not be living as a human, but living with his siblings who also had to live as humans. Hell, he could barely remember anything from his first life, but he couldn't imagine trying to get along with Pride no matter how much the monster had changed. He could be the cutest child in the world, entirely _non_-homicidal, but Greed just didn't have any interest in hanging out with a kid. And upon his second birth, he and Envy had immediately butted heads. Turned out the giant green oozing-faces monster didn't like having his appearance commented on. Too bad for him; Greed didn't lie, especially not about how thankful he was to _not_ be a repulsive freak of nature. Envy really hadn't taken that well and he seemed the type to hold on to grudges. And Gluttony and Sloth were downright boring to hang around with. They wouldn't be receiving any invitations to _his_ parties, that was for sure.

Lust, on the other hand… She didn't seem so bad. He liked a woman with some fire, and she'd countered his jibes with ease, giving as good as she got. And she was certainly easy on the eyes! Yes, the others might be hard to get along with, but he wouldn't mind spending some time getting reacquainted with his sister.

Thinking about his second birth reminded Greed of that time, and he suddenly remembered where he had heard the name 'Dublith' before.

"_Are you… _that_ Greed?" Ed had asked._

"_Huh? Which one do you mean?"_

"_You don't remember? The one from Dublith." _

Ah, so that's where he'd heard it before. They had thought he was from Dublith, and Daddy had said something about the Greed before him. The First Greed must have been from Dublith.

_So that's the place I used to live, huh? _He paused and peered through the trees, trying to make out the town, but the forest was too thick and the ground didn't roll the right way for him to see anything from his current position. Nothing about the town had jogged his memory when he'd looked out on the balcony that morning, but maybe now that he knew, he'd remember something. But then he thought about what he'd experienced there – flashes of memory welled up of Wrath, of him and his friends being killed – and his heart clenched in his chest. Maybe it was better that he didn't remember. For now, anyway.

It did seem an odd coincidence, though, that they were located so close to his old stomping grounds.

Strolling along, Greed continued to be impressed with the mansion. The roof was bright red and the walls were of a light-coloured stone. It kind of resembled a castle. From a bird's eye view, the building was in the shape of a… Well, he didn't know the word for it, but it was like a pinched rectangle. The front wall was shorter and the back wall was longer and the two walls were parallel. Each corner had a turret with its own conical roof, and the front of the building contained more windows than wall. Geez, so what if Wrath had been loved by the populace as the greatest leader Amestris had ever known? Still didn't mean his widow deserved such a nice place. The military was really being too generous here! Not that he was complaining or anything.

At the back of the mansion was a fair-sized garden ringed by a white fence, and there wasn't a wall of the place that didn't have tidy, well-tended flowerbeds underneath it. The forest grew right up to the fence, and except for a clearing a few metres wide around the house, there was no yard to speak of. A rough dirt path, wide enough for a vehicle to drive up, led through the forest's dappled shadows down the hill, turning too quickly for Greed to tell if it connected to another road before reaching Dublith, and the back of the house had a nice view of the mountain range that continued to grow in the distance.

Bored, he went back inside and found Alphonse at the top of the basement stairs carrying a bucket of water.

"Whatcha' doin', kiddo?" he called casually to the younger Elric brother.

"'Kiddo'?" Al laughed. "I'm older than you now, Greed!"

"Tch! Just physically! And I bet people could still mistake me as older."

"I'm not so sure about that," Al responded. "I'm just going to clean up the basement a little bit. Would you like to help?"

Greed hesitated – _Uh, physical labour's not really my thing..._ – then shrugged in agreement. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Everything was as they'd left it the previous night, but the sunlight filtering down the stairs helped to soften the space and make it less gloomy. The oil lamps had been left on the floor around the basement walls, the chalk marks still traced their intricate circles on the concrete, and the air was as dank and musty as ever.

Greed studied the transmutation circle curiously while Alphonse set the bucket of water down and left to get whatever tools they would need, though of course he had no idea what any of the symbols meant. There were five large circles that looked particularly important, and he guessed that one had been for each of them. Was it coincidence that the five circles matched the Philosopher's Stone array, or was that one of the keys to the transmutation? There was something downright weird about seeing the thing that had brought them back to life, an eerie feeling that accompanied the white lines on the floor. Not that he cared, really, but still, it was kind of creepy.

Alphonse returned with two mops and with the two of them sloshing water across the smooth floor, the chalk was washed away in a short period of time, erasing all evidence of the incriminating transmutation. The next thing to be done was to move the objects that had been kept in the basement back from the room where they were being temporarily stored, but that task was to wait until tomorrow, because just as they were finishing with the floor, Pride's voice came calling from the top of the stairs, indicating that supper was ready.

* * *

The meal was less impressive when compared to breakfast – it appeared that Edward was not a talented cook – but the atmosphere was at least not quite so antagonistic this time around. Everyone now understood what the situation was that they were in and they'd all had the time to digest the news. Whether or not they accepted it was another matter entirely, but Lust's reasoning made sense, so Envy tried to be a little less sullen.

'Tried' being the operative word.

The Homunculi naturally took the same seats they'd had that morning, so Envy was on the opposite end of the table as Greed and Alphonse. He could only catch snatches of their conversation, but it sounded like Greed was asking about some of the Central Chimeras, though not the ones that had tricked him in the North. Didn't matter, though. Hopefully Lust was listening closely enough to tell him where they were; the Chimeras were all the same to him, and if he could find that out, maybe he'd be able to get in a little revenge for the way they'd played him for a fool. If it hadn't been for Mustang, he would have torn the filthy creatures apart back underneath the 3rd Laboratory.

Pride and Edward, closer to Envy, spent a good bit of dinner talking about the boy's phone conversation with Ms. Bradley, and Envy idly eavesdropped while working on his plate.

"Mother says she's fine and Mr. Garfiel's being a good host. He's a bit strange, she said, but he's sort of a tea connoisseur, so they have something in common, and the people at the shop have been really nice to her."

"Strange doesn't even begin to describe him…" Ed muttered to himself before replying, "That's good to hear. I was a little worried that it'd be too loud and busy for her, you know, it being an automail shop and all, but that man owes me a favour and he was the closest person I could call on."

"Do you think Mother can come back tomorrow?" Pride asked hopefully.

"So soon? Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, I don't want to rush it and you said she's fine where she is…"

"No, Mother _said_ she's fine, but she asked about how much longer she'd have to stay there. I think she wants to come back home as soon as she can. You know how worried she gets about me."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me when I go to get her, but wouldn't it be better to give everyone a chance to adjust first?"

Pride shrugged carelessly. "I don't think it really matters if we give them more time. Actually, sooner might be better so that they can start adjusting sooner. No reason to put off introductions."

Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose you have a point there. A big change all at once might be easier to handle than a bunch of little changes, and a day probably won't make that much of a difference… All right, if you think it's okay, you can call her and let her know that I can come pick her up tomorrow."

Envy studied his brother's reaction, hoping for some small hint that he was acting. Pride beamed and chirped out a happy "Thanks, Big Brother!", but Envy couldn't see anything in his behaviour that offered even the hint of a hint that he was putting on a performance. It was disgusting and he hated seeing it. Pride just _wasn't_ supposed to be this way!

A glint of silver drew his eyes to Ed's hip as the blonde man stood up and leaned across the table for a dish.

"Huh? I thought you said you couldn't use alchemy anymore. What, did the military let you stay an honorary State Alchemist or something?"

Ed followed Envy's eyes to the silver chain trailing from his pocket.

"No, I'm not with the military anymore. I just never bothered to give the watch back and the general never asked for it when I handed in my papers. Guess he thought I could keep it as a memento."

"That so…" Envy drawled, already bored with the topic. _Huh, keeping a memento of being a Dog of the Military? What a sentimental thing to do. But then, that's humans for you. Sappy worms._

Out of habit, he let his eyes run up and down Ed's body, studying the changes the young man had gone through since he'd aged. The first rule of a shape-shifter was to pay keen attention to the appearances of those one comes into contact with. Upon his birth, it had been hard enough for Envy to even tell the difference between men and women – he didn't have a human body, so why did they expect him to be able to tell the ugly creatures apart! – but as he'd trained and practiced over the years, physical features became something he noticed instinctively, soaking in the details necessary to make his disguises so deceptive and convincing.

The Fullmetal Pipsqueak was wearing boring black pants and a blue shirt that revealed just a peek of his automail scars around the collar. His hair was held back in a ponytail and was just as long, bright, and shiny as ever. His jaw had become more pronounced, his shoulders had broadened, and his limbs had gained the muscle mass to take him from a scrawny and scrappy teenager to a fine specimen of mankind just entering his prime. He was a bit leaner than Alphonse, who looked like he helped himself to one too many puddings when dessert came around (Making up for lost eating when in the armour, perhaps?), but he was still shorter than his younger brother, though the difference between them was far less than before. And they were both taller than Envy.

"Hey, Pride," he called down the table for the child's attention.

Pride looked up with a mildly annoyed expression. "It's Selim now," he corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Envy said, waving his hand flippantly. "Couldn't you have made me taller or something? It goes against the natural order for the runt to be taller!"

"Huh?" Pride looked baffled. "But it was _you_ who chose that height."

"Yeah, but I would have made myself taller if I'd known he was going to outgrow me!"

Pride didn't look in the least apologetic and Envy caught Lust hiding a smile behind her hand. _What're you smiling at? _he scowled at her, but she only rolled her eyes at him in return.

Edward made no effort to hide his pleasure over that particular change. Shedding his gracious host persona, he sat up straight in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling smugly at the shape-shifter.

His smugness was promptly swept away when Pride responded, "Well, if it really bothers you, we did give you a teenage body since that's what you liked, so maybe you'll grow taller than Big Brother and Teacher once you reach their age."

_That's right: If we're human now, we'll be subject to aging just like them. _An odd thing to consider for the nearly 200-year old Homunculus, but Envy shot a cheeky grin at Ed nonetheless and spent the rest of dinner wondering how old his body was in biological terms and how genetics would factor into his future height. Of course, it would have been better if he didn't have to wait to grow, but maybe that would make it all the sweeter when he became, once again, the taller of the two. Shape-shifting _was_ kind of cheating, after all.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_The Secret Garden: _I just picked a random book from a list of popular 1910 novels. _The Secret Garden_ was written in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett, so in the timeline, it's been out for ten years. Even though the FMA universe doesn't completely coincide with our world, I want to pretend that they share as many things in common as possible. It really annoys me that there _wasn't_ a solar eclipse in Europe in the spring of 1915. If there had been, I would have tried to pick a date for the lunar eclipse that was also real. But we can't have everything we want in life. Sigh…

_Fisk_: According to Falman, the incident in Fisk that resulted in the bloodshed that contributed to the Nationwide Transmutation Circle occurred in 1799. The FMA wiki gives Envy's age as around 175; therefore, he was born around 1740. This makes Fisk the first major event that Envy could have been involved in to create the Circle. No one knows what happened at that event, so I'm just making it up that Envy nearly screwed up his involvement in it somehow.

_Greed's memory_: I believe that Greed regains only fragments of his memories as the First Greed. I don't see any proof for the return of all of his memories after he goes psycho on Wrath; going with what Ling says about friendship being something that's permanently burned into your soul, the only things Greed can remember from his first life are his Chimera friends. However, it also seems that he can remember past things if his memory is jogged. Example: Episode 45, where Ed agrees to become one of Greed's henchmen because he can't very well pass up the chance to get Greed's information simply because he's caught up in his emotions. And upon seeing the vat of boiling oil/lava while fighting Father underground, Greed instantly recognizes it as the cause of his death from before.


	7. Mother

Number of words: 3,233

Published date: September 9, 2012

Began chapter: August 15, 2012

Finished chapter: August 19, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 7: Mother**

"Thank you so much for your hospitality. I can't tell you how grateful I am."

"Oh, nonsense, Lily! It was a pleasure having you! Feel free to come back for a visit anytime, dear!"

"And please say good-bye to Paninya for me. Such a cheerful, hard-working girl."

"Of course I'll pass on the message! She'll be disappointed that you left before she could come back from Dominic's, but you know that old codger doesn't have a phone up there in the mountains!"

Ms. Bradley waved and smiled at the hairy armed and effeminate man in the purple shirt and suspenders blowing a kiss in her direction and slipped into the passenger's side of the car while Edward held the door open for her. As the young man shut the door, she heard Mr. Garfiel saying to him, "You're always free to visit too, cutie! And do say hi to Winry for me, won't you? I haven't heard from her in _foreeever_!"

"Sure thing, Mr. Garfiel. Again, I really appreciate you doing this."

"Now, now, I didn't mind at all. I loved having Lily as a guest! And I _did _owe you that favour. Have a safe trip back to Dublith, y'hear! Don't be afraid to call if you need me for anything else!"

Edward climbed into the driver's side, started the engine, and drove slowly through the crowded streets of Rush Valley, aiming for the road that led southward to Dublith.

With the dust, heat, and clanging of tools on automail the prevailing features of the town, the pair let out identical sighs once they left Rush Valley behind them and both shared a chuckle at the mutual sentiment.

"Rush Valley does that to a person, doesn't it?" Ed laughed. "It's a busy place. I'm just glad I don't have my automail arm anymore, or they'd all be on me like a pack of hyenas! At least I can hide my leg. You know, the first time I came here, a crowd of gearheads stripped me to my underwear in public!" He chuckled at the memory. "Ah, I can't believe I ever put up with that!"

His mirth quickly subsided at the line of worry across Ms. Bradley's brow and the way her hands were clasped tightly in her lap.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh!" Ms. Bradley started and smiled at him weakly. "Of course, Edward. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit tired. I'm not used to such hustle and bustle anymore. Thank you for coming to get me."

"You don't need to thank me; it was no problem," Ed replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "Selim wanted you to come back home as soon as possible."

"Is he all right? Nothing went wrong?"

"Yeah, he's fine. As far as we can tell, everything worked exactly like we thought it would. No problems at all."

"When we spoke on the phone, he said that they were… upset?" she ventured uncertainly.

Ed hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"That's true. They were upset when they first woke up, but everyone's pretty much calmed down now."

She didn't reply, but only seemed to grow more uncomfortable.

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

She gave a small wince. "I'm sorry. I do trust you and Alphonse. I don't mean to be nervous, it's just that…"

"No, no, it's completely understandable," Ed hastened to assure her. "Meeting a bunch of new people all at once is bad enough, but when they're…" He struggled to come up with an appropriate word, couldn't think of one, and ended up shrugging instead. "You have every right to be concerned, but trust me: I wouldn't be bringing you back if I thought there'd be trouble or that you'd be in danger."

"I know," she murmured quietly. "Maybe it's just… They're his family, aren't they? But I always thought of King and I as… That he's my son and…" She sighed. "Maybe I'm just jealous that we weren't enough for him."

"That's not it at all! Selim didn't do this because he wasn't happy with you; it's _because_ he's happy living with you that he did it. He wants them to experience humanity too. You'll be able to offer them something they've never had before. We really do think they'll change the same way Selim has, though it'll surely take some time, and I think this is something he feels he needs to do."

Now her smile was obviously forced.

"That's quite a heavy burden for an old woman, Edward."

"We won't let you carry it all alone, I promise! If there's any problem at all, anything that causes concern, if you ever feel like you can't handle it, you can call on us. And Selim will make sure nothing happens. He's got a lot of pride, you know." Ed chuckled at that, though Ms. Bradley couldn't see the joke in it. "You risked your life to save him, so he'll do the same for you. Anything less and it'd be _his_ fault, and he won't accept that."

Ms. Bradley didn't respond, instead turning to gaze out the car window. Rush Valley was situated in a dry, mountainous region of the South and it wasn't a particularly pretty area, but they occasionally passed interesting sights: a river falling majestically over the side of a cliff in the distance; a straggled tree with scorch marks, obviously from a lightning strike; a few goats nibbling at the sparse vegetation in the field beside the road; the black trailing smoke of a train, hidden from view by rocks and forest that slowly thickened as they continued their trip southward.

Eventually, she broke the silence with a question.

"…What can you tell me about them?"

"Huh? You mean, what are they like?" Ed asked. Ms. Bradley nodded. "Well, hmm, who should I start with…?

"Lust is the only woman in the group. I only met her once and that was pretty brief, but Al, uh…" How to say that she had tried to kill him _without_ causing concern? "Al knows her better than I do. She'll come off as cold, but I'm sure she'll listen to Selim and treat you politely. Or at least ignore you, but condescending is a normal state for them." Wow, that did _not_ sound encouraging!

"You don't need to worry about Gluttony or Sloth. Sloth is intimidating, but he's also really slow. And when I say 'slow,' I mean dim. He doesn't really talk and he sleeps all the time. And Gluttony is basically a child. He's really close to Lust and in general he's actually kind of friendly. You probably won't be having any deep conversations with him or anything, but ask him to do something or to help you out and I bet he'll be quite happy to do what you say.

"Greed is the only one I can call my friend. He acts like a tough guy and he's rough around the edges, but at heart, he's a lot softer than he pretends. He risked his life for me dozens of times. And he's got a soft spot for women, so if you need help and Selim's not around, go to him.

"Envy… Envy's the one I'm most concerned about. Picture a really temperamental teenager. No doubt about it: He's going to sass you and be difficult and we can't do anything about that. But Selim claims that he'll listen to him even if he doesn't like it, and he and Greed will make sure Envy doesn't take it beyond words. Just try not to mention 'humanity' around him and don't be alone with him until he gets used to you."

Ms. Bradley stared at Ed, hesitating over the less than heartening advice, then nodded with a small and nervous gulp and turned back to watch the countryside pass by as she repeated his words in her head.

Despite Ed's best intentions, it only served to make her more anxious.

* * *

"Mother!"

Despite knowing that the drive to Rush Valley from Dublith took at least two hours (and that was just one-way), Selim had anxiously awaited their arrival practically from the time since Edward had left early that morning, and as soon as he heard the vehicle rumbling slowly up the steep dirt path, he shouted to the others to go wait in the living room while darting for the front door.

Ms. Bradley barely made it out of the car before Selim barrelled into her, hugging her legs fiercely. She returned the gesture with less strength and energy but just as much passion, though she had to crouch down to do it.

"Selim, dear, I've missed you! Are you alright? I've been so worried about you, sweetie!"

"I'm fine, Mother. I missed you too. I'm glad you're home."

Edward smiled as the pair spent a few minutes fussing over each other while he wrestled Ms. Bradley's luggage from the back seat of the car. Apparently it didn't matter what age a woman was: traveling light was not a usual feminine skill and Ms. Bradley was no exception. He doubted that she could even lift the heavy suitcase.

"Everyone's waiting in the living room," Selim said, taking his mother's hand and urging her forward, completely oblivious to her reservations. Ms. Bradley did her best to hide her nerves as her son led her through the mansion.

Selim had been raised in a formal military environment and Pride had lived in a world of strict hierarchy among both the Homunculi and those humans who had served them in the mistaken hope for immortality. He felt that this was a solemn moment, so he stood as straight and tall and dignified as he could, mimicking the formal ceremonies he'd often attended in both his roles.

"Mother, this is my family."

The Homunculi had been waiting all that morning for Ms. Bradley's arrival, and despite Envy's griping, Alphonse had gathered them all in the living room to meet her without much hassle. The room was arranged much as it had been the previous afternoon, with couches and chairs pulled into a semi-circle in front of the fireplace, and Selim stood with Ms. Bradley at the circle's broken end. Three sets of sharp, red-purple eyes settled on her and Ms. Bradley tried not to shrink back at the inhuman looks, though she was honestly too nervous to focus on any one of them. Gluttony's gaze, however, was neutrally curious and Sloth's was dully inching towards sleep again.

Selim took charge and began the introductions with the right side of the circle.

"This is my younger sister, Lust," he said, beckoning for her to stand. Lust frowned briefly before sighing and rising gracefully to her feet. _Just play along_, she reminded herself as she extended her hand. _It's no different than manipulating men._

Ms. Bradley sent a startled look at Selim at his reference to Lust as the younger, and she accepted Lust's hand with a slight tremor that was certainly more than simple old age. The poor woman looked positively petrified! Her weakness was appalling, but as long as Pride was acting as a harmless human child, it was better to try to calm the woman's fears. If they were going to have to live with her, it wouldn't do for her to be terrified of them.

"Madam Bradley," Lust said smoothly, giving a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "it is a pleasure to meet the woman who has taken such good care of my elder brother. Pri- I mean, Selim told me that you were the one who picked out my clothing. I'm grateful. You have very good taste."

Ms. Bradley stared for a moment, not at all expecting such a friendly response, but her words had exactly the effect Lust had been aiming for: Pride's mother visibly relaxed and returned the smile, falling easily into the polite small talk common in the higher-up social circles.

"Why, thank you, dear. I'm just glad you like them. I must say, that dress looks absolutely stunning on you. But you're so beautiful, that's only natural!"

She gave a light twitter, Lust's smile became a shade closer to genuine, and the males in the room inwardly groaned. Selim hurried to the next introduction before the two women could get lost in an involved and boring conversation about hair or shoes.

"Mother, this is Envy."

Lust returned to her seat beside Envy, but her green-haired brother neither moved nor responded, scowling sullenly and avoiding meeting the glare Pride was sending his way.

After a few uncomfortable seconds, Selim continued the introduction with a biting edge in his voice. "Envy's sense of fashion is lacking and he often says things he shouldn't, but you shouldn't put up with any of his smart comments."

Envy sniffed at that. Fed up, Lust jabbed an elbow into his side and he finally turned to meet their irritated expressions and sent such an ugly look in Ms. Bradley's direction that she took a half step backwards.

"Stop acting like a child," Lust said sternly.

_I'm sick of this!_ he thought fiercely. _I don't want to have to fake being friendly with these filthy creatures anymore! There's no plan! I shouldn't _have_ to pretend to be nice! I hate them! I _hate_ them! It's not fair!_

But then he remembered that he didn't know for sure that there _wasn't_ a plan, and Pride and Lust would just keep pestering him until he did what they wanted. _Might as well get it over with. _And with that thought, he sighed, muttered "Fine, fine" sarcastically under his breath, stood up, and plastered a broad and entirely fake smile across his face.

"It's a real pleasure to meet you, Madam Fuhrer," he said cheerfully, extending his hand for her to take. When she hesitated to accept it, staring at him with obvious unease, he merely grinned more widely. "Or should I say _ex-Madam Fuhrer_?" he asked, waiting for the flicker of sorrow to appear on her face before turning around and resuming his seat, quite pleased with himself and ignoring Pride's death glare. _Hmph._ _Serves them right, thinking they can make me be nice_ _to a human._

Of course, there was no way to take the words back and little point in trying to make Envy apologize. He'd said it in a friendly tone and could easily pretend to not understand what he'd done wrong. Selim shifted his gaze up to his mother's face, stricken to see her shaken and hurt by the unexpected reminder of her widowhood. _This isn't going well_, he thought, crestfallen and momentarily distracted by the urge to snap Envy's head off with a shadow, though of course that was impossible now and he regretted the thought as soon as it entered his mind.

Opting for distraction as the best way to avoid further hurtful comments, Selim quickly hurried on to introducing his next sibling.

Unsurprisingly, they had to wake him up first.

"Mother, this is Sloth. I know it's hard to believe, but he's actually not as scary as he looks."

Ms. Bradley wilted as Sloth stood up. He was a hulking giant, staring down at her without blinking, without any kind of expression at all. She remembered the way Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong towered over all the other officers, but at least he didn't look quite so… brutish.

"Remember, Sloth: Humans are fragile, so you have to be gentle."

Sloth turned his head slowly to look at his brother to see what he wanted him to do, and Selim held out his hand and nodded his head at his mother in demonstration. Groaning out a "What a bother," Sloth turned back to Ms. Bradley and languidly extended his hand, easily engulfing both of hers.

She was scared, but Ms. Bradley noticed that Sloth had indeed listened to Selim; his grip was carefully gentle and, despite his appearance to the contrary, she thought she could sense a certain meekness in him, a placid character underneath the muscled thug-like exterior.

"And this is Gluttony," Selim said. "He loves to eat and he's not especially bright."

As if to underscore the point, Gluttony had one finger in his mouth and turned between Ms. Bradley and Selim a few times.

"This is Pride's mother?" he asked his older brother uncertainly.

Selim nodded. The chubby bald man broke into a huge grin (which appeared genuine, unlike Envy's creepy fake smile), declared "Mother!" and, rather than taking her hand, instead engulfed her in a happy hug before she even had the time to protest. Just as she began to get over her initial shock, Gluttony released her and pleasantly began pointing at his siblings, listing their names as if she hadn't already just been introduced to them.

"Hi, Mother! I'm Gluttony! This is Lust, and that's Envy, and that's Sloth, and that's Greed! It's nice to meet you!"

She looked at the final person and froze.

The man staring back at her was the man who had attacked her, King, and Selim in their home not long before the coup d'état.

Greed – she remembered his name; when they'd fought, King had called him by name, had spoken as if he knew the man – appeared to remember her as well, his eyes widening as he recognized her from that night, then lowering when he saw her fear.

For a few moments, they both stood there, neither certain how to proceed. She had every reason to be afraid of him. _Pride should have thought of this! _Greed thought angrily. _Damn, what am I supposed to do now? I wasn't attacking _her, _I was attacking Wrath!_

There was nothing for it; he'd just have to explain and apologize and hope she accepted it.

Without knowing exactly what he was doing, Greed found his palms pressing together in front of his chest as he stood and gave a small respectful bow. _What the…? Did Ling rub off on me _that_ much? _The gesture was definitely Xingese, but it felt right to him nonetheless.

"Uh, Ma'am, you have every right to be afraid, but I promise, I don't mean you any harm. I wasn't, uh… I was confused at the time-" True, but he hadn't been confused about _who_ he was attacking. "-and I regret my actions-" Well, he didn't regret attacking Wrath, but he did wish he'd been smarter about it; he hadn't expected Wrath to be such a deadly opponent, and he'd only remembered the First Greed's helplessness in the midst of the fight. "-but I had no intention of hurting you or… Selim." _Hell, her presence was probably the only thing saving my ass that night! If she hadn't been there, Pride'd have torn me into shreds! _"Anyway, uh, sorry about that. Won't happen again." Awkwardly, he held out his hand.

Ms. Bradley stared at the hand for several seconds. She recalled the deadly gray claws that had slashed at her husband and countered his sword, but it was just an ordinary hand now and he sounded genuine. And Edward had called Greed a friend, had said that he could be trusted.

Timidly, she reached out and took his hand and Greed grinned in relief.

With that, the introductions were finished. She had met all of Selim's family.

With a silent prayer, Ms. Bradley wondered exactly what she had gotten herself into.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Ms. Bradley's name_: I wish Ms. Bradley had an official first name, but unfortunately, that isn't the case and I couldn't write an entire story without giving her a name at some point. I assumed that Ms. Bradley is between 55 and 60 years old in 1914 (which makes her between 61 and 66 now), since King Bradley claims to be 60 in that same year, and searched for common female names in the 1850s. One of the names I found was 'Lily', and I thought she looked like a Lily, so that's what I picked.

_The use of Pride versus Selim_: I plan on switching between using Selim and Pride's name as the situation calls for it. The Homunculi will still think of their brother as Pride, while he and his mother think of him as Selim, so which name is used depends on the context of who the name is coming from, even mentally.

_Greed and Wrath's fight_: The FMA wiki says that Greed takes off when he realizes Pride is present and he can't handle both of them at once, but I don't see any proof of this in either the anime or manga. As far as I can tell, Greed flees when he has flashbacks of his defeat at Wrath's hands the first time, leading me to believe that he didn't remember being killed initially and only knew Wrath had killed his Chimera friends when he arrived at the Fuhrer's residence.


	8. Unrest

Number of words: 8,117

Published date: September 23, 2012

Began chapter: August 20, 2012

Finished chapter: September 23, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 8: Unrest**

The next few days were… tense… as everyone began to adjust to each other.

The best way for Ms. Bradley to describe the atmosphere was to go back many, many years, to the 1880s, when she was just entering her twenties.

She had spent her whole life in Central City, the daughter of an upper middle class family. Her father had been an engineer with the military (Perhaps that was why she'd always preferred men in uniform!) and her mother was a teacher. Being a headstrong young woman, Lily had chosen to move out of her parents' house when she started her studies at Central's university even though it would have been cheaper to continue living at home.

Those first days with Selim's family reminded her of her first experience with a roommate.

It wasn't easy to adjust to a new person living in your home. People had different schedules, different standards of cleanliness, different needs for quiet or noise, different hobbies, different expectations for other housemates, different preferences in food and décor, different attitudes when it came to visitors or house rules.

These natural difficulties were exacerbated by the fact that there was not one new person to get used to, but _five_.

Ms. Bradley had her own schedule for the mornings and it was one that Selim rarely interrupted. She was an early riser, often getting up before sunrise to enjoy the birdsong and peaceful quiet of the morning while drinking a cup of tea in the garden. Selim wasn't rambunctious as far as children went, but she was no spring chick herself and she found that she needed the tranquil dawn to give her the energy for the rest of the day. The mornings were _her _time.

However, on the very next day upon arriving home, Ms. Bradley discovered that her alone time might very well become something she had to share.

Greed appeared to be an early riser as well.

She had only just poured her cup of tea when the man entered the kitchen, yawning loudly and scratching… Well, let's just say that she turned her head discreetly rather than start the day off with embarrassment. She hadn't been expecting anyone to get up for at least another hour, so she was surprised to see him, but she offered greetings all the same.

"Ah, good morning. It was… Greed, wasn't it? Would you like some tea? Or coffee?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, good morning," he responded blearily. "Coffee'd be great, thanks."

Wordlessly, she filled the pot and put the coffee maker on for him and, because it would have been rude to leave him for the garden (as was her normal routine) when he'd just woken up, Ms. Bradley joined him at the alcove table with her own cup.

"Did you have trouble sleeping?" she asked politely.

"Huh? Naw, I always get up early," he replied. "I don't need much sleep." And then he turned and gazed out the window with eyes half lidded in boredom.

_How rude!_ she thought. Here they were, and he was just going to ignore her instead of trying to make small talk?

The only noises in the kitchen were the coffee maker's sputtering and hissing and the hum of the refrigerator and Ms. Bradley found the silence quickly becoming uncomfortable, especially with this man she didn't know and was still a little afraid of. Desperately, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Um… Could you tell me… why you were fighting with my husband?"

Well, that certainly got his attention!

Greed turned to stare at her in surprise, obviously not expecting the question, but then his face became tight and he looked down at the tabletop with a frown.

"… I don't think that's a good idea," he said with reluctance. "Better to leave the past in the past, you know? Let's just say I'm kind of possessive and he was involved in… destroying… some of my things."

"O-Of course. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to… It just came out," she stammered quickly. _He almost looks like he's in pain…Were the things sentimental? I wonder what happened? What did King do…?_

"Aw, don't worry 'bout it," he said, waving his hand to sweep the topic under the rug. Then he turned back to the window again and Ms. Bradley found the silence even more discomfiting. What was she supposed to do now? Did he not want to talk? Had she offended him? Was it rude for her to leave? Or was she annoying him by being there? She didn't know the man and she couldn't tell what he wanted or what he was thinking.

Needing to do something, she got up and checked the coffee maker, pulled out a mug for him, and set the sugar, milk, and cream on the counter, then dithered back and forth a few times before excusing herself and going out to the garden, eager to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere.

The garden behind the mansion was one of her great passions, an oasis of tranquility. She was proud of the time and effort that went into tending the neat rows of vegetables, the stone-ringed beds of assorted flowers, the large rosebushes and climbing vines and shrubs, the small fountain and pond and the numerous bird feeders that filled the garden with birdsong throughout most of the day. But at the same time, there was something altogether humbling about her hobby. As much hard work as she put in, it was not up to her whether the plants flourished or died. The temperature, rain, sun, soil, bugs, and many other factors all contributed to the garden's success; all she could do was offer her own help and encouragement and hope that it was enough.

Nestled between two rosebushes against the side of the house was a plain white bench and Ms. Bradley settled onto it with a sigh, placing her teacup in her lap. The bench was her favourite spot. Shaded for most of the day, protected from the sun by the mansion's shadow until late afternoon, it provided a gorgeous view of the setting sun, but Ms. Bradley also enjoyed the view in the morning. Rather than have the bright rising sun glaring harshly in her eyes, she could watch the sun's orange rays creep slowly up the sides of the surrounding trees, into the garden, and then on to quickly paint the mountains in the west. And although they smelled nicer as the day warmed, the roses lent their gentle fragrance to the air.

It was almost... meditative. Breathe in and cool air spiced with the scent of flowers and grass and soil filled her lungs. Sit still and the sounds of distant, and then closer, birdsong filled her ears, the calls of robins and chickadees and juncos and finches layering as if they were performing their very own symphony. Stare at the shadows and watch as they stretched and lengthened right before her eyes.

This time to herself was important, renewing. Young people were too busy rushing about with their own concerns to appreciate the simple pleasure of quietly watching time pass by.

No more than five minutes passed when she heard the sound of gravel crunching under boots and Greed rounded the corner. She kept a polite smile on her face and shifted over on the bench so that he could sit down as well, but inwardly, she didn't like the break in her routine. And now that the man had some coffee in him, he seemed far more interested in chatting. Instead of enjoying the birdsong in silence, he began to ask about the mansion.

"So… You and Pri- Selim moved here three years ago?"

"Yes, that's right. How did you know?"

"They told us yesterday."

"Oh, of course. How silly of me!" she laughed lightly at her own foolish question. "Is there something you wanted to ask about it?"

"Well, I'm just surprised at how nice this place is." Greed waved his arm, gesturing to the garden and building. "I mean, this is quite the home for only two people!"

"It is, isn't it?" she readily agreed.

"So…? What did you do to get it? I know you're the Fuhrer's wife and all that, but it's still a bit much for-"

"My dear boy, you don't think I would have left the Fuhrer's residence for something less impressive, do you?"

Greed stared at her poised smile blankly. "Uh… I wouldn't choose something less impressive either, but I mean, how'd you get the choice?"

"It wasn't as hard as you might think," Ms. Bradley responded. "John, that crafty old fox- Oh, excuse me, that would be Fuhrer Grumman, has always had a bit of a crush on me." She giggled behind her hand. Greed gave a dazed shake of his head. _What's with this woman? She's ancient, but she sounds like a schoolgirl! _"As much as I miss King, some harmless flirting never hurt anyone, am I right?"

_Is she serious? _Greed stared at the old woman sitting serenely beside him, the wrinkles around her mouth more pronounced by her smile, her light brown hair up in the same boring cinched ponytail she'd been wearing six years ago, her clothing plain and more modest than the season called for. He couldn't imagine her flirting with anyone… or it being welcomed from someone so _old_. But who was he to say old people couldn't flirt just as much as the youngsters?

Ms. Bradley jumped when Greed promptly threw back his head and laughed, a throaty sound that startled several birds from the garden into the air.

"You know what?" he declared, grinning at her broadly. "I think you and me and Lust're gonna' get along just fine!"

She wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but at least it was a start.

* * *

Truthfully, that first morning with Greed was quite productive and Ms. Bradley didn't mind sacrificing one morning to learn more about her son's brother. He looked young and spoke with the slang of the type of people she normally never dealt with. (Gang member or low-profile criminal came to mind, though she was probably being biased.) Edward's description fit Greed perfectly; he acted like a tough guy and was rough around the edges, but it was also true that, if she ignored his exterior, the man was actually quite pleasant and personable. She was almost tempted to use the word 'charming'. He laughed easily. He smiled easily. He consciously worked to make her feel unthreatened and comfortable. He was a good conversationalist.

Nevertheless, when he came downstairs at the same time the following day, interrupting her peace and quiet again, and the same the third day, Ms. Bradley realized that her old set habits would need to change. She couldn't expect to have the mornings to herself anymore. It was a sacrifice she'd unknowingly accepted when she gave permission for Selim to bring his family back, but it would still be hard to get used to.

* * *

There were other things that she would have to get used to, and Ms. Bradley discovered two of them that same morning.

With the sun now completely up and her teacup empty, Ms. Bradley excused herself from the garden and Greed's company and returned to the kitchen, wondering what she could make for breakfast. Nine mouths to feed, and she honestly wasn't the most impressive cook. The Fuhrer's family, along with guards and tutors and personal assistants, had had their own cook, and she was still rusty even after three years without the attendants she'd dismissed after they moved to the South.

"Good morning, Ms. Bradley."

"Oh!" She started at the voice from the doorway. "Good morning, Alphonse."

"Need a hand?" he asked, smiling at the boxes on the counter that she'd taken out of the cupboard in her search for a meal idea.

She returned the smile gratefully, if a bit sheepishly. "I'd really appreciate that. Thank you."

When Alphonse said "Need a hand?" he really meant "Let me do it for you." The young man was an earnest guest, eager to help out wherever he could, but he was much too polite to phrase the offer as a demand, so Ms. Bradley quickly got out of his way without being asked. She didn't know what had made him decide to shed the armour he'd been wearing when she first met him six and a half years ago – according to the gossip at the time, he was so strange that he _never_ took the heavy stuff off – but she liked the blonde teacher much more now that she could see his face. He had such a gentle face and voice. So mild-mannered and polite. Such a gentleman! Not that she didn't like Edward too, but she found Alphonse to be much more… _calming _a presence than his older brother.

After a few minutes, nature called and she excused herself, but when she came to the first-floor washroom, she was surprised to find the door shut.

_Oh, well, that's all right. I'll just try the other one_, she thought, and went upstairs only to find that it too was occupied.

Never before had there been a wait for one of the two washrooms in their home. It was unheard of! But just like with a new roommate, they would all have to adjust to sharing that particularly precious resource.

She went back downstairs, found that the first washroom was free, made use of it before someone else could claim it for their morning ablutions, and returned to the kitchen to be met with an enthusiastic hug by Selim and an amiable wave from Edward, already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

Seeing the three boys in the kitchen (She couldn't think of the Elrics as anything _but_ boys, what with their difference to her in age.) was quite normal. The brothers had been visiting them regularly ever since Selim began his apprenticeship, and the distance was far enough and the mansion large enough that it justified them spending the night for however long they wished. As she settled onto the bench beside Selim, Ms. Bradley relaxed in the comfortable familiarity of their presence, allowing herself a moment to forget that the four of them were no longer the only ones in the house.

That was, until Lust and Gluttony entered the kitchen and Greed came in from the garden to join them.

It was suddenly cramped in the tiny kitchen with seven people!

"Is breakfast ready?" Gluttony asked eagerly, rubbing bleary eyes.

"I'm sorry, but it'll be a while yet," Alphonse answered, face now tight with concentration as he picked his way past the large man to move between the refrigerator and counter.

He might have been personable before, but Ms. Bradley flinched at Greed's loud voice in the small room as he noisily shoved one of the chairs aside and came to the alcove table.

"Hey Ed! Remember how you thought I was from Dublith before? And I was, but that was the Old Greed, not me?"

_The 'Old Greed'? What does _that _mean?_

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Can you tell me anything about that? I still don't really remember very much and-"

"Does anyone want to come get the newspaper with me?" Selim piped up over their voices, ignoring the fact that they weren't listening to him.

The second thing Ms. Bradley would have to become used to became clear at that moment:

Her peaceful existence with her son, in a _quiet_ and _empty_ house, had come to an end.

Selim turned to his sister, who was the only one (apart from Ms. Bradley) paying attention to him over the other voices. Lust was looking over the kitchen and its occupants with a rather unimpressed expression, so when Selim repeated himself – "Lust, wanna' come with me?" – she looked somewhat grateful for the offer. Ms. Bradley slid over on the bench to allow Selim up, thinking that she would use the excuse to switch the hubbub of the kitchen for the peace and quiet of the living room and a nice book, but Selim grabbed her hand, forcing her to join them.

Neither of them caught the look of irritation that flashed across Lust's face. Selim's sister had been hoping for the chance to speak with her brother _alone_. With his mother accompanying them, she would have to wait for another opportunity.

* * *

It was around a ten minute walk to the bottom of the mansion's driveway and back, and Ms. Bradley had gotten to the age where she didn't like to make the trip every day if she could help it. Usually it was Selim who went down to fetch their main connection to the outside world. True, they had a radio and they visited Dublith on a semi-regular basis, but they _were_ rather isolated, being located so deep in the forest. The newspaper was still the best way for them to know what was happening in the rest of the world. And although Lily preferred the tamer articles on gardening and new novels and plays, Selim kept a close eye on the national and international news and anything to do with the military.

She had gone so far as to mention Selim's interest to Edward, but the young man had merely thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

"_I don't think we need to be worried about it," he said. "He's been keeping track of what happens in Amestris on a national scale for a long time, so it's only natural that he'd still be interested in knowing what's going on. But thanks for noticing. If he seems to take particular interest in something, let me know just to be on the safe side."_

Ed also suggested that Selim was paying careful attention to the outside world in order to ensure that he and his mother weren't in any danger, but that seemed like a silly thing for him to worry about. Ms. Bradley couldn't imagine a place _less_ likely to experience trouble than Dublith. They weren't anywhere near the country's borders and the fighting with Aerugo had all but ended; the region surrounding Dublith was forested mountains and fields, but as far as she knew, there were no exceptional mineral deposits that begged to be exploited; there were some rough areas in Dublith, but the crime rate wasn't any higher than in other towns of comparable size.

She would have preferred that Selim remain carefree, just like a child should be, but at the same time, it was touching to think that he wanted to protect her.

It didn't look like worries were weighing his mind down _now_, at least.

Near the beginning of their little trip, Selim had darted into the woods. For a few moments, his dark hair and short height acted as camouflage, completely hiding him from the women's view in the shadowed undergrowth. And when he suddenly reappeared, jumping out of the bushes on Lust's left side and earning himself a sharp look as a reprimand, he was brandishing a plain stick, which he used like a sword to swing at the air and at overhanging branches, whacking tree trunks and spinning it through his hands like a baton.

"Hey, Mother! Lust! Watch this!"

He turned around, walking backwards and balancing the stick on his head for all of five seconds before dropping it, but not before Ms. Bradley gave him a smile and made an appropriately impressed noise. Lust only responded with a raised eyebrow and Selim flushed in embarrassment as he bent over to pick up the stick. Pouting, he acted far more restrained, simply using the stick as a walking pole as he walked a dozen paces ahead.

The two women walked side by side along the hard-packed dirt path through the forest, leaving a polite distance between them. The summer morning was still early enough to lend some crispness to the air and with the branches hanging over the path, preventing the sun's light from breaking through the thick foliage, it was almost chilly.

Ms. Bradley tried to think of something she could say, some simple conversation starter that would break the ice with her son's sister, but nothing came to mind. The few times she glanced discreetly out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lust staring at Selim's back with a sharp and thoughtful frown, and it was disturbing to see her studying him so… intently. And although Lily could always try complimenting her clothing or beauty again, that method would grow stale and insincere if she used it twice in a row.

With nothing to say, they walked in silence until they reached the bottom of the driveway.

Selim instantly snapped out of his pout, clambering up on top of the large stone driveway marker positioned beside the mailbox. Proudly, he turned to Lust and pointed with his stick.

"That way's the way to Dublith," he said, gesturing to the left and northward along the wide and smooth-packed road. "The forest ends a little farther on, and then there's some fields, and then Kauroy Lake, and then some more fields, and you have to cross a pretty wide river, and then you hit Dublith!" He turned and pointed the other way, to the right and south. "If you keep going that way, you'll eventually connect with the main road from Central to South City. There are only a few small villages along the way, though, so not a whole lot of people take that route. We're the last ones until the next village, and we're the farthest ones from Dublith, too!"

Lust covered her eyes with one hand and peered down the road, though it curved with the flow of the land and prevented her from seeing any real distance.

"And how far away is it, exactly?" she asked.

"Um…" Selim rolled his eyes upward as he mentally did some figuring. "It takes about an hour to walk there, so that's… Let's see… About five kilometres, I think." He jumped down from the stone marker and moved to the mailbox, reaching inside for his daily prize.

"'Walk'? You mean we don't have a vehicle?"

"I'm afraid not," Ms. Bradley said, speaking up with an apologetic tone. "It's embarrassing to admit, but I never learned to drive, and Selim's too young, so there's been no need for us to have one. Most of what we need is delivered to the house."

Lust didn't respond, though Ms. Bradley caught her lips turning down slightly at the thought that they would need to _walk_ to the town. Selim, newspaper clutched tightly in hand, dropped his stick against the mailbox and moved over to his mother's side, and they turned around to begin the trek back up the driveway. (Which truly _was _a trek, being all uphill on the way back.)

Lust paused behind them for a few more seconds, glancing both ways down the road and sparing a moment to look at the mailbox, which only revealed another facet of Pride's step-mother's personality. The name _Bradley_ was stencilled on the side of the box in black cursive writing, which wasn't all that odd or unique. No; what made it stand out was the pink, red, and yellow flowers painted all around the name, bright against the white background. She was pretty sure they were roses, but honestly, the artist hadn't been skilled enough for her to be certain.

_I thought Pride picked the roses, but maybe… Hmm…_

With a few long, quick strides (difficult in her high heels on the uneven path), she caught up to the pair and walked on Pride's other side so that he was in the middle.

"Ms. Bradley?" _That sounded a little too curt. Better to be polite._ "May I ask you something?"

"Hmm? Oh my dear, you don't need to be so formal! Please just call me Lily."

Lust paused at the request for familiarity, then nodded.

"Lily," she repeated. "My brother told me you were the one who picked my clothing, but did you also choose the decorations for the room?"

"Ah, you mean the flowers and rug and such?" Ms. Bradley asked with a smile. "Well, I _did _pick them, but Selim helped too."

"No I didn't!" Selim protested from between them. "That's girly stuff!"

"Don't be silly," Ms. Bradley chided. "Flowers aren't just for girls." She looked over his head at Lust. "Selim insisted I use roses; he said they were your favourite."

"Really?" Lust glanced down at her eldest brother in surprise, who was quickly turning red in embarrassment. "I'm surprised you knew that, Pri- Selim." _It's going to be hard to remember to use his human name!_ "I never mentioned it before."

She didn't need any reminder of the fact that the boy beside her was _not _the child he appeared to be. Pride had made sure, early in her life, that she understood his high position despite his childish appearance. With all of the Homunculi, he had exerted his powers quickly to leave little doubt as to his superiority. He was the first and _strongest_ Homunculus.

All the same, that didn't stop him from being adorable.

Her little brother refused to meet her eyes, instead darting an accusatory look at Ms. Bradley as if she had just given away a dreadful secret. His mother only smiled sedately. He crossed his arms and pouted for a few steps, then, still scowling, sighed and addressed Lust.

"Whenever you returned from one of your dates, you brought roses back with you," he explained reluctantly.

"That doesn't prove they were my favourite. Maybe that's just what men assumed I liked."

"Yeah, but if that was the case, you wouldn't have bothered to bring them home. You'd have just thrown them away beforehand."

_How very true_, she thought. It wasn't surprising that Pride had put two and two together, just as it wasn't surprising that her other siblings hadn't. Expect the incarnations of avarice or jealousy to think about somebody else's preferences? Not likely. Pride, though? He'd probably realized it while spying on her with his shadows. Resenting his relative uselessness as a spy (He could listen in on conversations, but his ability to glean any useful information depended mostly on luck.), he had often kept tabs on all of them whenever they were in Central. More than once, she had returned to their underground lair to report new information to Father only to discover that Pride had inexplicably beaten her to the punch.

What was more curious, though, was that he had used the information out of apparent consideration for her feelings. Which bode ill for her hopes that he was just faking the child act.

A Pride who was faking reformation as a human didn't need to include her favourite flowers as part of the charade.

Whichever the case, Lust had an inkling of why he was embarrassed by the whole thing: Such thoughtfulness among the Homunculi would have been mocked, not praised, and he was expecting her to make fun of him. His glowering pout only showed that he was preparing to be teased and it completely worked against him. Lust was hardly immune to the charm of a cute child and she yearned to squeeze him or pinch his cheeks, but he had long ago taught her to suppress the impulse lest he snap her hand off in retaliation.

Clearly that injunction didn't hold for Ms. Bradley, who, oblivious to why Pride was embarrassed and to Lust's odd reservations, reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Mother, don't!" he protested, making a token gesture of pulling away even though it was plain to see that this wasn't a rare thing for Lily to do.

"Roses are my favourite too," she said over her son's head.

Well, luckily for Pride, Lust wasn't like her younger brothers. Greed would have laughed at him and Envy would have said something snide, but no one had ever accused them of being _sensitive_. There was no good reason to get his back up.

"Thank you, Selim," she murmured, and had the pleasure of watching his face go through several different expressions – embarrassed, shy, pleased, haughty, and then feigned indifference – as he tried to decide on the best reaction.

It was too much for her.

_He claimed to not have his powers anymore, so he can't take my hand off now, and he'd hardly bring us back to life just to kill me for being impertinent... I hope. Maybe he'll make me pay for this later, but…_

Mimicking Ms. Bradley's action, Lust reached over and tousled her little brother's hair.

And, surprisingly, he didn't object.

* * *

Once they arrived back at the mansion, Selim grabbed Lust's hand and dragged her down the hallway, heading for the study and telling her about the old newspapers he had saved specifically to help her get caught up with Amestris's history, leaving Ms. Bradley on her own.

She didn't mind. Breakfast surely wasn't ready yet; someone would come to get her when it was. In the meantime, she was only halfway through her most recent acquisition (a collection of poems and short stories) and she felt it was far preferable for her to do some reading than to return to the noisy and crowded kitchen.

_Let's see now; where did I leave that book…? _she wondered, puttering down the hall. _Oh, that's right. I left it in the spare den upstairs._

There were two sets of stairs to the second floor: one in the foyer, and one by the living room, curving in a semi-circle in a wall-made niche. In keeping with the rest of the house's design, a tall arched window took up the entire wall, providing a stunning view of the garden, forest, and mountains to the west beyond.

The view was so stunning, in fact, that Ms. Bradley wasn't really focused on where she was going. Turning her head to admire the scenery as she always did, she only barely managed to stop herself from walking straight into Sloth, who was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Oh my! I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going."

No response. Sloth didn't move, staring silently without expression, his height only magnified by his position on the landing.

"Uh… Um… It's Sloth, right?" she tried, hesitating at his lack of reaction. "Excuse me, but… If you could just let me get by you…?"

What had Edward said? That this huge man was… dim? She had expected him to be exaggerating – surely anyone related to Selim _couldn't_ be dim – but now she wasn't so sure. It almost felt like he wasn't awake. Could he not hear her, or…?

"Um… Selim is downstairs in the study," she ventured, "in case you were wondering…"

She shifted on the stairs and, as if her movements were the trigger that brought him back to reality, Sloth's head slowly lowered, only then indicating that he _hadn't_ been staring at her at all, but rather had been looking out the window.

Turning his attention to her, however, appeared to be his only reaction, and his silent, unblinking scrutiny was more than a little unnerving.

"If you could just move so I can get by you-"

"You're wasting your time," said a sneering voice from behind the large man.

Envy moved into view and leaned casually on the railing overlooking the stairwell, resting his elbows on the banister so that his hands dangled over the edge. His smile, though not entirely unfriendly, looked more like he was laughing at her in some private joke.

"You see, Sloth here doesn't really respond well to _requests_. You've got to be a bit more forceful with him. Observe." He stood up straight and turned to face Sloth, placing hands on hips and tilting his head back. "Hey, Sloth!" he barked at him. Loudly. "You're in the way! Move it!"

Ms. Bradley flinched more at the shout than Sloth did… Not that he actually flinched. The giant only turned to face his much smaller sibling, let out a drawn-out groan as he considered his words, and then muttered "What a bother" and took a few steps back, enough to free up the landing.

Envy's smile was now definitely smug and he gave a condescending bow, sweeping his arm with a flourish as if he had just done something incredibly impressive and beckoning for Lily to finish her climb. The gesture put her off, but she did just that, climbing the next few steps to the landing.

"Thank you," she said politely, but Sloth didn't respond. As soon as she was out of the way, he started forward to make his own way downstairs. Slowly.

And now she was alone with Selim's very odd… _brother_?

_They referred to Envy as 'he', but… Really?_

It had taken her a while just to get used to Mr. Garfiel, who was quite flamboyant in his own preferences and mannerisms, but even he didn't compare to bearing a bare midriff and wearing a skirt.

A very _short_ skirt.

It almost felt offensive to be looking at him. Men _were not _supposed to show that much thigh! And the bare stomach was practically scandalous! She settled on deciding that he _was _a man, for his black tank top was flat across his chest, he had no hips to speak of, and he was more muscular than what any woman could achieve. She reasoned that he mustn't have hit puberty yet, though, for his voice was quite high for a man, his bare arms and legs (much as she wished she couldn't see them) were hairless, and his face had a rather smooth and delicate look. Why had Edward cautioned her to think of Envy as a teenager? He quite clearly _was_.

Of course, Ms. Bradley tried to be discreet in her observations so as not to be rude.

Envy was under no such compulsion.

As if sensing her cautious scrutiny, he turned his attention from Sloth's descent to her, red-purple eyes cold even while his lips turned up in the approximation of a smile. But not a friendly smile. More like a jeer.

Edward's other warning came to mind:

_Don't be alone with him until he gets used to you._

Well, she couldn't very well fix that by rudely walking away, could she? But she suddenly wanted to do just that, for Envy, as if reading her thoughts and feeling her unease, only grinned more broadly and began to circle her, like a predator.

"So, Mother Bradley then, is it? You've gotten quite a bit older, huh?" He leaned in, bringing his face close to hers and laughing when she took a timid step back. "Ha! Nervous?" he asked. "So maybe you've gotten just a tiny bit smarter at least. But then, I can't imagine what you were thinking, letting Pride do this."

_Pride? Who is Pride?_

"Did they not explain to you who we are? _What _we are? How _dangerous _we are? Hmm?"

While his tone became more menacing, his smile only grew wider and more open. Ms. Bradley couldn't tell _why _he was saying these things. The split in his bearing was confusing. His voice was mean and his face was friendly. She had no experience with crazy people, but wasn't such dichotomy indicative of madness? She was beginning to tremble and a lump had formed in her throat. She tried to swallow, but only managed to wet her lips, dearly wishing that she could call Selim or Edward or Alphonse, dearly wishing that _someone _would come and interrupt them.

"So? Explain it to me. Just what _were _you thinking?"

"I-I-I just- I just wanted-"

She stuttered and struggled to answer, and maybe that was what made Envy realize that he was pushing her too far. Rolling his eyes, he moved back a few steps and held out his hands, as if to say _There. You happy now? _His foot tapped the floor impatiently.

"I-I just wanted Selim… t-to be happy," she managed. "I couldn't just… say no when it obviously meant so much to him. I-"

He cut her off right then and there.

"Ugh, more of this foolish human sentimental crap? Please, you're making me sick." He truly did look sick, his lips twisted and nose pinched as if something foul-smelling had been thrust into his face. "Don't waste your breath; I don't want to hear it."

For a moment, it seemed that he forgot all about her, frowning angrily in her direction without really seeing her. Ms. Bradley still hesitated to move. She had no idea how he would react or what he was so angry about and she really didn't want to take any chances now. She doubted she could move anyway; her feet were quite firmly rooted to the floor, her body stiff with fear.

And then Envy snapped out of it, re-focusing on her and glaring.

"What? You're still here?" he asked irritably, and then paused, perhaps only just noticing the old woman's frozen posture, pale face, and wide eyes.

He sighed.

"Aw, come now, Ms. B, you don't have to be afraid of little old me. I'm not gonna' _hurt _you." He smiled again and this time, it appeared that he was trying to be a bit more genuine. "After all, Pride told me to be nice to you. I can't really disobey my eldest brother, now can I?" He started to move lightly past her, heading for the stairs, but then paused as he reached her side. Leaning to the side, he brought his face far too close, lips almost to her ear, grinning broadly at her obvious discomfort.

"Of course, _my _version of being nice is not killing someone. Too bad he wasn't a bit more specific, hmm?"

And with that chilling whisper, he left Ms. Bradley at the top of the stairs, the sounds of his light chuckles staying with her even once he was gone.

* * *

A little while later, Lily settled in the den with her book, but it took much longer for her heart rate to return to normal. And even once her body calmed, her mind did not. She tried to forget her fear by reading, but after re-reading the same page several times without any of the words sinking in, she gave up and instead looked out the window, trying to use the scenery to sooth her frazzled nerves.

_He was… He must have just been _trying _to scare me. Yes, that must be it. After all, there's no reason why he would want to hurt me. Surely he was just playing with me, teasing me… Edward _said _he was sure I'm not in any danger. There's no way Selim would allow any of them to hurt me. I have to trust him. I have to trust my son._

Even as she believed it, she was more than thankful when Selim came to collect her for breakfast, giving his hand a little squeeze just for reassurance.

* * *

Meal times _used _to be a quiet affair in the Bradley household. Not anymore. Yet _another_ thing to get used to, Ms. Bradley realized, as she watched her new 'family' at the dining room table.

She was frankly appalled by Selim's siblings' table manners.

Gluttony and Sloth had eschewed the utensils and were completely oblivious to the impropriety of eating solely with their hands. Sloth chewed so slowly that it wasn't as obscene, but Gluttony and Greed shovelled their food down with abandon, at times barely chewing at all. Envy had thrust his feet up on the table, and if she weren't so busy avoiding looking at him, Lily might have said something about it. They didn't pass things, instead being quite content to lean over their neighbours to get what they wanted. Lust was the only one polite enough to not talk with her mouth full. And Greed, once finished with his own food, began to talk as if unaware that the rest of them were still eating.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked, directing the question at Edward.

"What d'you mean?" Ed's words came out half-garbled. Okay, so maybe it wasn't just Selim's siblings who spoke with their mouths full.

Greed gestured with his fork. "I mean, what are we supposed to do? We're humans now, right? So what're we supposed to do with ourselves?"

Ed gave a small shrug. "For the most part, whatever you want. People aren't born with a specific purpose in mind. There's nothing you _have _to do."

"Yeah, but I want to go to Xing and Alphonse already shot that down."

"If you want to go to Xing, then we can't stop you from going," Alphonse said, "but I told you that it's not a wise decision. The desert crossing is-"

"Yeah, yeah, fine. I know. Then what else is there for us to do?"

"Hmm, well, it's not a long-term view, but for the next few days, we'll-" Ed gestured to himself, Al, and Selim, "be catching up on training. Selim's fallen behind in his studies."

Selim looked sheepish.

"Big Brother and Teacher gave me a break while we were working out the final details. We didn't want to be distracted by anything."

"Please!" Ed snorted. "You mean you were too distracted to even think about anything else!"

Selim looked away in embarrassment and muttered defensively, "Well, I _was _worried. I had every right to be worried. It was a new transmutation, after all. No one had ever done it before."

Ed responded with chagrin, "You're right, Selim. Sorry. I didn't mean to tease."

"How does training have anything to do with me?" Greed asked.

"The alchemy training doesn't, but you can at least help out with the physical side."

"Huh?"

Ed grinned. "'To train the mind, you must first train the body.' That's what our teacher drilled into us. Selim's younger than we were when we first started our apprenticeship, but it'd be great if he had someone to spar with daily. We're not around enough to do a proper job of it."

"Seriously? You want me to teach him how to fight?" Greed seemed somewhat leery of the thought, looking sceptically at Selim. "You'd be okay with that?"

"Of course!" Selim piped up cheerfully. "Why wouldn't I be? You _are _the best fighter here."

"So what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Of course not, Envy. You can train with us too if you want," Selim replied in a placating tone.

Envy merely shrugged and replied, "Huh, who says I even need to."

"Other than training," Lust said in her sultry voice, "what else is there to do?"

"Well, there's still a lot of things to be moved back into the basement. Anyone can help with that. There's lots of books, which Selim said you like, and Ms. Bradley could always use some help in the garden. And I know you have all of the clothes you need, Lust, but we should probably make some outfits for the rest of you-"

"Hey, that's right! Why did Lust get the special treatment?"

"Because try as he might, Selim didn't know what you'd prefer and he figured it'd be better to not waste his time guessing. You didn't exactly have a large wardrobe, Envy."

"Who says I prefer anything else? What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

"You're not serious!" Ed exclaimed. "You want to keep wearing that? You do know you're going to stick out like a sore thumb already, don't you? And besides, it won't stay summer forever. You think you can just ignore the cold in a tank top and man skirt?"

"You just said I can do whatever the hell I want, and if that's what I want to do, then that's what I'll do!" Envy countered. His eyes slid to the side. "What?" he growled.

Ms. Bradley started and flinched back at his exasperated tone.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just-"

He didn't wait for her to explain.

"Hey, Pride-" Selim's eyes hardened at Envy's choice of name. "-I know I'm cute, but can you tell your pet human that it's not polite to stare?"

"How dare you!" Selim's eyes went cold. Although it was hard for a six-year old's face to convey fury so that people took it seriously, Selim seemed to be making a fair shot at it. He stood up from his chair (which didn't add to his height at all), glaring at his younger brother. "You will _not _refer to Mother in such a way, Envy! Remember your place! Apologize right now!"

_I don't want them to start fighting! _Ms. Bradley thought frantically.

"No, no. Selim dear, it's all right. I'm not offended. He doesn't need to apologize," she hurried to say. "I was just… Uh…" It was harder to think with so many eyes focusing on her. "I was thinking that Envy, well, your voice just sounds awfully familiar somehow. I was trying to remember where I'd heard it before."

Several sets of eyebrows shot up, but the hostility instantly went down, replaced by curiosity. Envy leaned back in his chair, staring at Lily not in antagonism, but simple contemplation. After a few moments, he grinned and nodded, suddenly much more agreeable.

"Well, that does make sense. After all, it's not the first time we've met."

Ms. Bradley blinked in surprise.

"We… We've met before?"

"What, you've forgotten? You're hurting my feelings here!"

"Um… Are you _sure_ it was me? I can't imagine forgetting… I mean, that's not to- I don't want to imply-"

"Oh come on, you can say it: It'd be impossible to forget such a cute face, am I right?" The green-haired teenager practically preened under his own words. Lust rolled her eyes behind Envy's back so that he didn't notice and the Elric brothers and Selim made a face, which he resolutely ignored, but Greed guffawed so loudly that even Envy couldn't ignore the hint.

"What? You got something to say, Ponytail?"

"You? Cute! Did the definition change in the past few centuries, 'cause I think you're confusing what it means with its opposite!"

"Shut up, bastard!"

"What're you going to do, Mr. Giant Green-"

"Knock it off, both of you!" Lust said sharply, wishing she still had her Ultimate Spear to make the order more compelling. Thankfully, Greed hadn't said the word he'd been hinting at – _ugly _– or the fight would have come to blows. Instead, her two younger brothers settled on some sniffs and glares and then calmed down again.

Ms. Bradley was still trying to remember this meeting that Envy had referred to.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to remember meeting you before…"

"That's not surprising," he drawled, grin crossing his face as if her confusion was a great secret joke for him. "I didn't look like this when we met. Maybe _this _will jog your memory: Do you remember a dirty-blonde short-haired second lieutenant? Blue eyes, medium build? On occasion, he had the envious job of preventing you from seeing the Fuhrer when he was in an important meeting with the senior staff."

Ms. Bradley thought, then started as she remembered.

"Oh! I _do_ remember him. He was quite rude; I thought maybe he didn't know who I was. Are you related to him, or-" No, that couldn't be right. So far as she knew, all of Selim's family was right here.

Envy began to chuckle even as he answered.

"'Related'? Ha, no, that _was _me! It was fun telling you off, but it's only fair to let you know that the Fuhrer chewed me out for it later." He laughed a bit more. "Got to say, Striker was a good design. One of my better ones. After yours truly, of course!"

Ms. Bradley stared in dumb confusion at his words. _What in the world does he mean…? _She opened her mouth to ask, but Selim spoke up then. He still sounded angry at his brother for his earlier comment.

"That's enough, Envy. All of that's in the past now; Mother doesn't need to know about it, so don't talk about it." Envy waved his hand flippantly. "That goes for everyone else, too." Lust and Greed nodded assent. Selim didn't seem concerned over whether Sloth and Gluttony agreed to the demand, taking for granted, perhaps, that they wouldn't think to speak of it in the first place.

Ms. Bradley learned one final lesson that day, and it was a lesson she learned to appreciate more and more as time went by:

Ignorance truly _was _bliss.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Congratulations to __**Argen-Lobbo-Ridder**_: For being the first to notice (or at least comment) on how I've been naming my chapters. I took the names of all the episodes and soundtrack songs from both series, put them in a list, and have been picking the ones that seem to fit the chapter best. Granted, some will be a stretch, and I'm not trying to balance between songs/episodes and 2003/Brotherhood, but I thought that was a neat way to softly mix the two versions of FMA.

_Descriptive scenery_: In case it's not clear yet, I really enjoy describing scenery. Let me know if the descriptions are too long or detailed, and if they create a good mental image.

_Fuhrer Grumman's name_: Sorry, but I gave Fuhrer Grumman the first name of John, a common male name of the 1840s. (I assume he's in his early seventies; quite healthy for his age, too!) I didn't need to – he's not at all an important character in this story – but I thought it'd be cute and normal for Ms. Bradley to refer to him by first name since he'd be in her age group, and as much as I like him as a character, he doesn't strike me as having a very _exotic_ name. (Did anyone else notice that he shaves his moustache off when disguised as an old lady, and yet the next time we see him, it's completely grown back? How is that even possible?!)

_Edward and coffee_: I'm kind of making fun of Ed with the coffee. In my opinion, he started drinking the stuff at a very young age (15 years old at Briggs, if not earlier), and consumption only increases as a person grows older, so by 21, he's probably quite hooked.

_Kilometres_: Japan uses the metric system, so I'm pretending that Amestris does too. I'm absolutely terrible with any kind of measurements, so I used Google Maps to estimate.

_Envy's second lieutenant disguise_: We see this disguise when Envy quickly shifts from Focker after speaking with Sheska; when Envy and Lust are plotting how to stop Mustang from investigating Hughes' death; when Envy brings the Elrics up from their underground hideout to Central Command; and when he picks up Kimblee from the prison. I have no idea whether this disguise is an original or a copy of a real officer, but I'm pretending that he is an original design Envy created to fit in with the other officers for his day-to-day dealings with the military. I picked the name 'Striker' by looking at the 'armoured fighting vehicle' page on Wikipedia, which mentions the British FV102 Striker – a name which follows Arakawa's tradition of basing officers' names on military vehicles.


	9. Inside the Belly

Number of words: 3,945

Published date: September 30, 2012

Began chapter: September 24, 2012

Finished chapter: September 30, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 9: Inside the Belly**

"Good morning, Mother!"

Those words were ones Ms. Bradley had heard almost every day since Selim had grown old enough to talk, and she began to respond in kind automatically, but her voice hitched for a moment at the unfamiliar voice which spoke them.

"Good morning, Sel- Gluttony," she said, injecting as much warmth into the greeting as she could.

The round man standing in the kitchen doorway returned her smile with a cheerful grin and joined her at the table.

It was her second morning home. The previous day, she had spoken to all of Selim's siblings, even if only briefly (as with Sloth) or uncomfortably (as with Envy) – except one. The only person she hadn't spoken to was Gluttony, who had remained glued to Lust's hip after breakfast for pretty much the whole day. And Lust had retired to the study for long into the afternoon, absorbed in the newspapers Selim had saved from the past several years and so intently focused that Ms. Bradley hadn't felt bold enough to interrupt her. Gluttony, she had seen from the hall, had remained sitting on the floor beside Lust's chair. He held no book. He didn't say anything. He simply sat with one finger in his mouth, looking vacantly at the wall with not a hint of boredom or impatience, as if perfectly content to do nothing more than sit by his sister's side.

Even though she hadn't spent any time with him yet, going by his enthusiastic and accepting hug upon meeting her, Lily already felt that this would be an easy relationship to build.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

Ms. Bradley sighed at the recipe book open in front of her.

"I'm trying to get some ideas for breakfast," she said, "but I'm having a hard time. I'm not a very good cook, but it's not fair for me to let Alphonse do all the work. He's supposed to be a guest, and yet he's the one making all the meals!" She couldn't rely on the younger Elric brother forever; she knew the boys intended to leave at the end of the week, and then it would all be on her to feed everyone.

"What do you think?" she asked Gluttony. "Is there anything you'd like?"

She spun the book around on the table and slid it across for the bald man to look at. The book was open to a glossy page picturing a glass of some thick orange-coloured juice, a bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with nuts, and a scrambled egg dish of some sort. The food looked perfect and delicious and, for all she knew, was probably staged plastic.

For a second, Gluttony looked stumped, as if being asked his opinion on something was an extraordinary event, but then he grinned again and pulled the book the rest of the way across the table, turning his beady eyes to the picture. His thick fingers struggled with flipping the pages and he skipped the recipe pages entirely, looking only at the pictures. Well, wasn't it natural for a person to flip through a recipe book and only look at the pictures? She had started off doing the exact same thing.

She waited for him to go through all the pictures before making her own suggestion.

"I was thinking that muffins might not be too hard to make." She flipped back to the specific page and pointed. "And I could probably make a simple omelette. What do you think? Does that sound good?"

He nodded eagerly.

"Would you like to help me?"

She didn't expect the offer to be that big of a deal, but Gluttony looked up with a fair degree of astonishment, almost as if overcome by the gesture. But in the next moment, he twiddled his thumbs shyly.

"I-I want to help, but I never…"

"You've never cooked before?" she guessed.

"Uh-huh." He looked down in embarrassment. "I'm not smart like Lust and Pride. Not fast like Envy and Greed. Not strong like Sloth. I'm only good at eating. And smelling. I'll just get in the way…"

"Nonsense!" Ms. Bradley declared firmly, rising from the table and waving for him to do the same. "I barely know what I'm doing either! We can learn together, all right? And I'll teach you what little I know!"

And with her declaration brooking no argument, that was exactly what they did.

* * *

Amidst the general interruptions inherent in the act of preparing a meal, Ms. Bradley took this perfect opportunity to learn as much about Gluttony and his siblings as she could.

The recipe book rested on the table, pages propped open by a big mug and empty vase. Containers, cartons, and jars of ingredients were spread out on the counter along with bowls and measuring spoons in a parody of organization. They both washed their hands, and she tied a simple handkerchief around her head to keep her hair from falling down into her face. She also found an extra apron in the linen closet, and although it was far too small to wrap around Gluttony's large stomach (She left it untied and the strings trailed by his feet.), at least it would help keep his clothes clean. The black skin-tight suit wasn't as unflattering as might be expected, but it would still need to be replaced if he wanted to look semi-normal and until such replacements were made, it was all he had to wear.

She read the instructions aloud.

"Let's see now… 'Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. Cream butter and sugar with mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add berries and beat until smooth. Mix together flour, salt, baking power, and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until dry ingredients are moistened, then gently stir in chopped nuts. Spoon into muffin cups or liners.' All right, this doesn't sound too hard. First, let's find the muffin tray."

She described what it looked like to Gluttony and the two of them searched through the cupboards. Alphonse probably could have found it much quicker, seeing as how the boy seemed to know her kitchen better than she did, but eventually they found it.

"We'll probably need a double batch," she thought out loud. "Maybe even a triple batch. Okay, Gluttony, you can grease the pan and I'll start measuring ingredients."

She brought out the butter and demonstrated with the first muffin cup, showing him how to coat it smoothly and evenly around the bottom and edges. Despite his fear over never having done it before, he did a good job and finished before she'd measured everything, so she set him on the dry ingredients, showing him how to use the measuring cups and spoons, tripling the amount and checking each item for him. A few minutes later and he was happily beating the wet ingredients while she pre-heated the oven and began preparations for the omelettes.

"So, Gluttony, can you tell me a bit about your family?" He had seemed eager enough to talk about them before. "You seem really close to Lust."

"Uh-huh. Lust is really nice. And smart. She's always taken care of me. She makes sure I don't eat too much. Sometimes, if I do a good job, she gives me an extra snack."

Ms. Bradley nodded and hummed encouragingly for him to continue, though she couldn't help but think, _I'm not sure Lust did a very good job on that front…_

"Envy looks out for me too, but he's not as nice as Lust."

She didn't need Gluttony to tell her _that_.

"Sloth was always digging, so I didn't see him very much. Greed is nice, but he left a long time ago, so I didn't get to see him until Wrath found him and brought him back. And then Father created him again and he had to guard our home with the other Guardians, so I didn't see him very often. Wrath was nice, but he and Pride had to live with the humans, so I didn't see them very much either."

There were too many points in that statement for Ms. Bradley to know which question to ask first. What was Sloth always digging, and for what reason? Why did Greed leave? Who was Wrath? Who was Father? The Guardians? Pride? She felt fairly certain that 'Pride' was Selim's siblings' name for him, going by how Envy had spoken to Selim using that name the previous day. What did it mean, Wrath and Pride 'had to live with the humans'?

There was so much she didn't know, so much she hadn't been told. As Edward and Alphonse felt, it was for her own good. Selim also didn't want her to know too much; knowing would just upset her, he thought. But she didn't even know _how _ignorant she was! This was supposed to be a fresh start for his family, but what of their past was harmless and what was treading into dangerous territory? How did they expect her to interact with them without knowing _anything _about their personal histories? It was a frustrating situation to be in.

Gluttony's details were neither insightful nor informative, and Ms. Bradley suspected that his answers would remain confusing even if she tried to dig for more details. So she gave that topic up and switched to more personal things.

"Do you have a favourite food, Gluttony?" she asked.

Her head just happened to be turned in Gluttony's direction and so she saw the grin that spread across his face when he answered:

"Girls!"

She didn't understand. _What does he mean by girls...? He can't mean-! _Her lack of understanding quickly changed to horror, especially when Gluttony elaborated.

"Girls are better than men. They're softer and tastier!"

There were two levels of shock to his declaration:

The first, the very _idea _that he had _eaten_ – and enjoyed eating! – humans.

The second, that he said it without even the slightest hint of embarrassment or shame.

Gluttony continued to grin at her innocently and Ms. Bradley didn't know what to do. She felt cold. Was this some sort of joke? If it was, it was past time for him to pull the punch line and it was hardly the joke a sane person would make. Envy seemed disturbed on some level, but what if Gluttony was unstable in a different way? If he was serious, would he get it into his head that she was a girl and so would make a yummy meal?

"Gluttony, what are you doing?"

Selim, voice sharp, stood in the kitchen doorway. Ms. Bradley snapped out of her horrified paralysis and watched as her little boy approached his rotund brother, who shrank back almost fearfully.

"Can't you tell that you are scaring Mother?" Selim asked angrily. "Humans are _not _food. You will not think of them as such. You will not talk about such things again. Understand?"

Yes, there was no question; Gluttony was scared, gulping and nodding quickly.

"Yes, Pride… Sorry…"

Selim glared for a few more seconds, as if making absolutely certain that Gluttony understood the seriousness of his order, then turned back to Ms. Bradley with his regular beaming smile. He didn't seem to realize that it took her a few moments to recover not only because of Gluttony's words, but also due to her son's rapid change in manner. Truly, his tone had been menacing; she didn't blame Gluttony at all for backing up. Lily logically knew, based on the Elrics' story, that there was a side to her son that she'd never seen, but she had pushed that fact to the back of her mind, preferring not to think about it. And now, here was disturbing proof of his other side.

"Good morning, Mother! Don't mind Gluttony; he was just joking. What are you making? Can I help?"

She gave a dazed shake of her head, returned Selim's smile, and responded, "We're making muffins and omelettes, and of course you can help. Want to chop the vegetables for me?" She set him up at the table with a cutting board and knife (making sure to keep an eye out that he was being careful), then checked on where Gluttony was with the muffins.

It was time to add the dry ingredients. Gluttony followed her directions, but his large hands trembled around the mixing bowl and he kept darting glances back at Selim, his back hunching defensively every time he looked around. Selim remained oblivious to his nervousness, happily humming at the table as he chopped. Concerned by the large man's unease, Ms. Bradley stayed by his side, chopping the nuts as he stirred. He also became noticeably clumsier, dropping his spoon twice.

It was a sad thing to watch. He had been so enthusiastic and cheerful before, and now… Selim's words had been bossy and firm, but was so much fear really warranted…?

Once the dough was ready and the first batch spooned into the tray and put in the oven, Ms. Bradley kindly thanked Gluttony for his help and suggested that he go see if Lust was awake. He didn't catch on that she made the suggestion as an excuse for him, but nodded and left with a grateful expression all the same, and Lily made a mental note to keep an eye on her son and his brother. There was something else going on that she couldn't see and she intended to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

"Envy, you look like something a chimera dragged in. You do know you're not supposed to wear your clothes to bed, right?"

"Huh?"

Lust tsked and rolled her eyes.

"I know you're not used to wearing _real _clothes, but have you even _looked_ in the mirror? If you put off brushing your hair any longer, we're going to have to chop half of it off to get rid of the tangles. I know you could just shape-shift those things away before, but honestly, how can you not know-"

"Aw, shut up, Lust. And don't you _dare _try to cut my hair!"

Envy tugged at a handful of long spiky hair irritably, trying to rake his fingers through it in a vain attempt at tidying himself up. A short look down confirmed that his skirt and tank top were wrinkled and twisted and he tugged at those as well, growling under his breath.

"Gah, I don't know how you humans can stand this stuff! Whoever invented clothing anyway? If you all weren't so fragile, it wouldn't even be needed!"

Ed looked on with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't get it. Haven't you always worn clothing?"

"_No_," Envy replied empathically. "Oh, come on! You _saw _me change shape! Can't you figure it out yourself?"

"... Wait, if the clothing was actually a part of your body… That means you were actually _naked_?"

Envy sighed at Ed's incredulous tone.

"Why should I even be surprised that that's the first thing you think of? Geez, you humans have such one-track minds! If you want to be technical, then yes, I was naked. Big deal."

He paused as Greed snorted loudly across the table, and his glare only served to increase his brother's amusement. It definitely sounded insulting, but Greed was laughing so hard that he couldn't even explain what exactly he found so funny.

Envy struggled to continue in a dignified tone, nearly impossible with Greed gasping for breath across from him. Well, at least there was one thing he was more mature about than his avaricious older brother. Greed had a one-track mind too. _I want money and women and sex and blah blah blah, we get it, Greed, we don't care…_

"It's hardly my fault that humans are so embarrassed by their bodies that not having clothing is such a horrible thing. Whatever. I was technically 'naked' in my true form too and you never cared then. All I'm saying is that it sucks to be _wearing_ the stuff."

Actually, there was a lot that Envy wasn't used to yet, hair brushing and unruly clothing being the least of it. He squirmed in his chair and sent another dirty look at Greed, who was only just beginning to catch his breath. Five boring days and he still felt weird in his new skin. The body was so light and small and weak. He'd always watched the way he walked, keeping his steps light, for even though he'd been able to regulate his weight somewhat using the Stone's power, it could only do so much. No reason to make people suspicious of him when they felt his footsteps sending tremors through the floor, but now, there was none of that. He felt silly, catching himself treading lightly in an old habit that was no longer necessary. Sometimes, when he saw Ms. Bradley or one of the Elrics, he caught himself quickly reviewing his appearance, preparing to switch to another body before they saw him. And of course it didn't matter anymore because they knew who he was and he couldn't change anyway, but the instincts of nearly two centuries weren't so easy to suppress.

"Ms. Bradley, are you all right? You're not eating," Alphonse asked with concern.

Envy glanced down at the old woman. He hadn't been alone with her since the previous day and was quite pleased by that. His words had had the exact effect he'd been aiming for: Ms. Bradley distinctly seemed to be trying to avoid him. He hadn't been lying. He _couldn't _kill her, or at least he had little doubt that if he did, the repercussions from Ed and Pride would be less than pleasant. But hell, the last thing he wanted was to spend time with a filthy _human_. Hopefully he'd scared her enough that it would be months before she stopped going pale when she saw him.

Speaking of which, she was looking slightly pale now, wrinkles more pronounced as she started up at Alphonse's voice wearing a deep-in-thought frown.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Alphonse. I'm fine. I was just wondering… But I'm not sure if I should ask… and I'm afraid the answer might be something I don't want to hear…"

"What is it, Mother?" Pride asked.

"Ah, well…" Ms. Bradley still hesitated and looked around the table at each of them in turn. "I was wondering if… Um…" She visibly steeled herself, then blurted out, "Do you all- I mean, is all of your favourite food… girls?"

Six sets of eyebrows shot up and Pride sent a sharp look down the table at Gluttony, who made a laughable attempt to hide his bulk behind Lust. At least it wasn't too hard to guess at where she had come up with _that_ idea. Clearly their tubby brother had said something he shouldn't have.

"Eww, no!" Greed exclaimed with a rather disgusted look. "Where'd you get an idea like that?"

"I assure you, Gluttony's tastes are… unique... among us. We ate the same food as any human," Lust hastened to assure her.

"Besides," Envy interjected with a broad smirk, "humans are so _messy_ to eat! They're hardly worth the effort-" He stopped when Lust looked at him in exasperation.

"You know, would it kill you to keep your mouth shut instead of making matters worse?" she hissed at him. He merely grinned and shrugged.

_Come on, Lust. Don't spoil my fun! I'm just playing around. It's not my fault if she _believes _me._

Ms. Bradley looked somewhat relieved by their quick denial.

"Then, what _are _your favourite foods?" she asked curiously. "It would be nice to have some meals that I could-"

Envy scoffed.

"Please! How are we supposed to have a favourite food when we didn't need to eat?"

"You- You didn't need to eat?" Ms. Bradley repeated in surprise.

"Don't be stupid, Envy," Pride reprimanded. "Of course we had to eat! Stop lying about everything."

Envy winced at Pride's tone and backpedaled.

"Well, okay, technically we would have starved to death if we didn't eat, but the Stone would have just brought us back to life, so it hardly makes any difference-"

Pride interrupted even more curtly than last time.

"And I told you yesterday not to mention things like that. Mother doesn't need to know about it."

"Fine, sorry, _Selim_." He bit the name off like a curse.

Ms. Bradley looked between the two uncertainly, but she didn't let the question go, turning to Lust instead.

"So… Do you not have a favourite either, dear?"

Lust thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"I can't say I do," she admitted. "However, you're mistaken; Envy _has _a favourite, but he just won't admit it."

"Oh really?"

"Hey!" Envy protested. "Shut up, Lust! That's none of her business!"

She ignored him. "You'd never tell looking at him, but Envy has a real sweet tooth, especially for chocolate."

"No I don't!" he growled, feeling his face grow red in embarrassment, especially when Ed gave a short laugh. Damn it all, he couldn't shape-shift the blood away from his face to prevent the blush, either. Lust had no right telling them that!

Ms. Bradley merely smiled lightly and turned to Sloth.

"How about you, dear? Do you have a favourite food?"

Her efforts to include him were wasted, of course. Sloth looked at her blankly for a moment, then answered in his sluggish monotone, "No… Don't have a… favourite food."

Lust filled in the blanks for Pride's mother.

"Sloth's food came from the military cafeteria, so he never had an opportunity to pick a favourite."

"Oh." She looked fairly disappointed by the poor responses.

Greed seemed to agree with her. He shook his head at them in disgust.

"I can't believe you guys! If none of you have favourites, then I'll be happy to help you out, Ma'am. I love chicken and steak and pork – actually, any meat's good – and noodles, the spicier the better. Gotta' have beer with your food. Barbecue's good too, oh, and grilled kebobs and roasts. I never had a burger I didn't like. And- What? What're you looking at me like that for?"

Everyone was staring at him, even Sloth. Lust and Pride and Envy gaped at the list and Gluttony had begun to water at the mouth with each named dish. Alphonse's laughter was somewhat more restrained, but Edward was practically on the floor, clutching his sides.

"I can't… I can't believe… you inherited it!... That dumb prince's… bottomless appetite!"

"Hey, I can't help it!" Greed protested weakly, holding up his hands with a lopsided grin. "It's not my fault Ling has a voracious appetite! An hour after eating and he'd start pestering me! I tell you, he's got Gluttony beat! If I didn't give him more food, he wouldn't stop whining!"

"You don't need to tell _me _that!" Ed choked out. "He became Emperor and the moocher still hasn't paid me back for the meals he stuck on me! When you get to Xing, make sure to get the money he owes me!"

And then the two of them started laughing again, joking about the Xingese brat who had so messed with their plans. Envy scowled. Not only had the kid humiliated him in the woods by beating him so easily, but he had provided the body for Greed to be reborn a second time. Just so he could betray them again.

Those were the reasons he said to himself, but honestly, Envy just found it annoying that the two of them were enjoying themselves and joking when he wasn't a part of it.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Gluttony's favourite food_: They chopped this detail out of Brotherhood. In the manga, while Wrath and Gluttony are tracking Ling and Lan Fan, Wrath tells Gluttony to take care of Scar and leave the foreigners to him. Gluttony sort of protests at this, saying he wants to keep following the girl (Lan Fan). Wrath says something like, "Oh, you like girls?" and Gluttony responds with a yes, drooling and claiming they taste best because they're softer. Wrath's expression in that panel is priceless, but there is canon proof that Gluttony prefers eating women over men.

_Envy's favourite food_: It is a fairly well-known piece of trivia from the game _Fullmetal Alchemist: Dream Carnival_ that Envy enjoys chocolate parfaits. I've never played the game, but everyone loves to play with that little tidbit. There's something ironic about the skinniest Homunculus enjoying sweet and fattening foods.


	10. The Fuhrer's Son

Number of words: 3,976

Published date: October 7, 2012

Began chapter: October 6, 2012

Finished chapter: October 7, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Fuhrer's Son**

"Selim dear, would you please stay and help me with cleaning up?"

_Uh-oh_, Selim thought. Mother always asked, rather than demanded, when she wanted help with something, but her tone was a little different than usual. Why was she only asking him? Why did it sound like she didn't want any of the others to help out too? It could only mean she wanted to talk to him. Alone.

Not good. Not good at all. What other difficult and awkward questions did she plan on asking? How much else had Gluttony unwittingly revealed that Selim hadn't heard before arriving to stop their conversation? How could the stupid halfwit _not_ understand when Selim said to '_not talk about the past'_? Mother didn't need to know about their past crimes, especially since (as far as he could help it) they wouldn't be committing any more of them, but he hadn't counted on Gluttony's simplicity. Or Envy's love of running his mouth off. Six years as a human child had clearly dulled his senses. For some reason, he had been hoping that gratitude at being given a second chance at life would curb Envy's tendency to speak without thinking, but in hindsight, Selim realized how deluded _that _hope had been. His younger brother had always been an unruly brat who ignored his older siblings' instructions as much as he could get away with. It was ridiculous that Selim had thought Envy might do as ordered simply because it was the considerate thing to do.

Meekly, Selim got up from the dining room table and began to stack plates as the others wandered off. Teacher lingered – he liked to help and actually enjoyed cleaning – but the younger Elric brother was sensitive enough to realize Ms. Bradley wanted to be alone with Selim, and so, after helping Selim to gather up some of the heavier dishes, he excused himself as well.

Without knowing what Mother wanted to talk to him about, Selim couldn't mentally prepare any responses, and he hated the anxious feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. His classmates from school – many probably so changed by age that he'd barely recognize them anymore – had sometimes complained about how awful it was to be asked a question by the teacher when they didn't know the answer. In his act, Selim had naturally agreed with them, but in truth, he had had no idea what they were talking about. The material was so dry and easy that it was a wonder any student _didn't _know the answers. Selim had certainly never been caught without the correct response. Even the 'pop' quizzes never tripped him up, but now, without knowing what she would ask or having any inkling of what reply he could give, Selim suspected he was finally getting a taste of that awfulness. Where he would normally have helped Mother while chatting away about the little things he planned to do later in the day, Selim dried the dishes at his mother's side in uncomfortable silence.

They were halfway through the pile when she finally spoke up.

"Selim dear, I couldn't help but notice earlier-"

_Here it comes! What's she going to ask? What if I can't answer?_

"-well, did something happen between you and Gluttony?"

Selim blinked in surprise. That was far from the type of question he'd been expecting.

"I know you might not want to tell me about it, but he seemed really…" She struggled to find a delicate way to phrase it. "… well, _nervous_. Especially once you joined us in making breakfast."

Mother paused and looked down to gauge his reaction, and his face must have confirmed that he knew what she was talking about. Frankly, Selim felt like slapping himself on the forehead. How in the world had he missed that? Of _course _Gluttony was nervous around him! In fact, nervous was likely an understatement; Pride had _killed _and _eaten _him. It was a wonder Gluttony hadn't fled the room without Lust there to protect him!

"And I know it's not really my place to butt in when I don't know what happened, but maybe you should talk to him. Take an old woman's advice-"

Compared to him, she could hardly be called old. Although she knew he was older than he appeared, obviously she didn't realize to what extent he out-aged her.

"-it's been my experience that it's always better to talk about hurt feelings and get them out into the open-"

Hurt feelings were hardly the whole of it!

"-rather than let them sit and get worse."

The only excuse Selim could give himself for not having considered Gluttony's reaction was that he'd never really thought about Gluttony at all. Gluttony and he were so far apart in terms of skill, intelligence, usefulness… He'd told Captain Hawkeye that it was offensive to even be put on the same level as Gluttony and he'd meant it. Even Sloth had been a better Homunculus; he'd been essential to creating the transmutation circle, whereas Gluttony's only use had been as an evidence destroyer – and even without him, they could have found other ways to dispose of incriminating evidence and meddlesome humans. They hadn't _needed _him.

But was it really fair to look down on him so much? Could Gluttony really be blamed for being the way he was? His sin had been an all-consuming one that forced him to be hungry at every moment of every day. He could never be satiated, never satisfied, never full. Given that, wasn't it more impressive that he had been able to control himself enough to resist eating his siblings? To listen to them and obey orders? All things considered, Gluttony could have turned out much worse. He _could_ have been a slavering monster with no more intelligence than an animal, little different from those mannequin soldiers.

Mother had turned away from the sink and was looking down at him again, waiting for some kind of answer, and Selim quickly pulled himself out of his musing.

"You're right, Mother," he said quite sincerely. "Thank you for pointing it out. I'll speak with him later."

Satisfied with his answer, they went back to washing and drying the dishes in comfortable silence. Selim was very thankful that she hadn't asked any of the expected awkward questions, for he had his mind full just trying to figure out how he could approach Gluttony to solve this unforeseen problem.

* * *

Selim found Lust and Gluttony in the living room. Lust appeared to be taking a break from the old newspapers; she had a book open in her lap and seemed fairly engrossed in it. He was more surprised to see that Gluttony also had a book open on the floor, but when he got closer, he saw that it was one of his mother's cooking magazines and Gluttony was merely flipping through the pages to look at the pictures.

Both of them looked up when he entered the room. Now that he was paying attention to it, Selim saw that Gluttony most definitely looked uneasy. His tubby brother jumped slightly upon seeing him, shifted from his place on the floor to be a little closer to Lust, and avoided looking in Selim's direction.

_Pathetic_.

The thought came unbidden to his mind, and he took a second to compose himself and squash the feeling before approaching. Gluttony wasn't smart, but he also wasn't oblivious to the undercurrents of feelings around him. Part of that probably had to do with his sense of smell, which was keen enough to recognize individual scents and detect shifts in emotion. He might not know _why _someone was feeling a particular way, but he was pretty skilled at noticing and responding appropriately. Whether he'd be so insightful without that sharp nose of his was hard to say, but Selim felt certain that if he tried to speak to Gluttony with anything less than complete honesty, his brother would sense it and it would only make matters worse.

_Pride _would only make matters worse.

"What is it, Pride?" Lust asked when he just stood there.

"Selim," he corrected absently. Lust gave him a look and purposefully marked her place in the book with a finger before folding it shut.

"Do you need something, _Selim_?" she repeated.

He looked between the two of them again and sighed.

"I need to speak to Gluttony. Would you mind leaving us alone, Lust?"

Her eyebrows shot up at the request, but in the next instant, her lips pressed together and eyes narrowed as she glanced down at Gluttony and then back at Selim. Her expression said quite clearly that she didn't trust him.

_She knows_, Selim realized. _She knows I killed Gluttony._

He wasn't sure _how _she knew – it hadn't been a part of the story he'd told them – but maybe the Elrics had told her. Or Gluttony had told her himself. _Rats. I didn't realize I'd need to apologize to her too!_

"I want to apologize for what I did," he said as contritely as he could. "That's all."

Lust considered him for a moment and Selim could practically read her thoughts in her eyes: _Pride brought us back, so it wouldn't make sense for him to kill Gluttony again. He doesn't have any powers anymore, so he can't kill him anyway, and he certainly wouldn't hurt Gluttony while the Elrics are still here._

"You don't have to go very far," he added when she continued to hesitate.

And whether she thought it was the wisest thing to do or not, his sister nodded and rose, still, in the end, accustomed to obeying him.

Gluttony did not like that at all.

Beady eyes became panicky and he latched onto Lust's arm to stop her from leaving.

"Where are you going? Lust?" he asked beseechingly.

She leaned down to look him in the eyes and placed her free hand on his head.

"It's all right, Gluttony. Pride just wants to talk to you. I promise I won't go far. You can call if you need me, okay?"

That was _not _what Gluttony wanted, but where Lust was accustomed to obeying Pride, Gluttony was accustomed to obeying Lust. The only protest he made was with his eyes and by showing obvious reluctance in releasing his hold on her arm. With a brief backward glance from the living room doorway, Lust left the two of them alone.

Selim looked at Gluttony again and inwardly sighed at the task ahead of him. His brother continued to avoid his gaze and twiddled his thumbs nervously from his seat on the floor. It certainly wasn't going to be easy to assuage his fears.

_Where to begin…?_

Well, the first thing to do was to stop standing there. Selim pretty much matched Gluttony's height while Gluttony sat on the floor, but considering the context, Gluttony probably still felt that Pride was looming over him even if he technically wasn't. Moving closer but still keeping a few feet between them, Selim plopped himself down on the floor and adopted a simple cross-legged position.

_Now what?_

Selim's first impulse was to rationalize Gluttony's death. The cold and logical and _arrogant _side of him did not feel in the least bit guilty for what he had done. They had both been severely weakened. Without the Xingese warriors' interference, they shouldn't have had such a difficult fight. In the dark, Gluttony had the advantage with his sense of smell, and in the light, nothing stood a chance against Pride and his shadows. But with the ability to sense their presence, Gluttony lost his advantage and was repeatedly killed. It was practically guaranteed that he would die permanently and, much as he hated to admit it, Pride had had his hands full just trying to defeat Edward. It wouldn't have occurred to him, but he doubted he could have divided his attention enough to save Gluttony _and_ stave off their attacks at the same time. So the most logical thing to do was eat him before he died for good. Pride could make far better use of a heightened sense of smell and he would gain the extra energy from Gluttony's Stone, boosting his own power rather than having it wasted on regeneration.

Individually, they couldn't win. Sacrificing Gluttony had been necessary. As Father's loyal child, Pride had done what he'd had to.

The fact that he hadn't minded killing his brother was beside the point.

_But no_, Selim thought. _That _is_ the whole point! Gluttony's not afraid of me just because I killed him; he's afraid because I didn't mind doing it!_

His brother, simple being that he was, had been the most trusting of the Homunculi. He'd obeyed orders without question, even when they resulted in his injury or death. It was very rare for him to be given a mission without a partner; had he thought that the partner was there to look after him, rather than to make sure he did his job correctly, as was the case? To Pride's way of thinking, that was a ludicrous assumption, but it could easily have been how Gluttony saw things. To then be turned upon by his eldest brother, who he'd thought was _supposed _to be looking out for him, made the betrayal all the greater.

No, he couldn't rationalize this. Rationalizing would be the same as making excuses, and humans knew that murder was murder no matter _why_ it was being committed. How could he tell Gluttony in one breath that killing him had been the right thing to do and in the next, apologize for it? It would only serve to confuse him.

Gluttony was fidgeting, Selim realized. He'd been thinking for too long. Better to just say what he had to say and not draw it out any longer.

"Gluttony, I want to apologize," Selim said in his quietest, gentlest voice. "You have every right to be afraid of me. I'm sorry that I killed you."

Gluttony finally looked up at him and met his gaze with something akin to surprise. His finger inched its way up to his mouth, as was his habit when thinking hard about something, but he didn't say anything.

"I know now that what I did was wrong," Selim continued. "I should never have turned on you. I wish I could take it back, that it had never happened."

The child at his core, the child who loved his mother and had missed his family, the child who, unburdened by arrogance, truly cared about others, surged up in Selim so quickly that he couldn't even try to stop it. Tears sprang unbidden to his eyes and his throat tightened horribly, making it hard to breathe. He hunched over, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face in them so he didn't have to look at his brother.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Gluttony!" he cried hoarsely. "I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have- I- I-"

All he could think of was Gluttony's last moments. The fear and pain he'd inflicted without hesitation, without remorse. _No, don't eat me, Pride! It hurts! Help me, Lust! _How could he have done that? How could he have been such a monster? Even as enemies, the humans had been horrified, and how had he reacted? He'd practically _bragged _to them! Pride had believed that there was nothing and no one above him, but his actions had said that nothing was _beneath _him. Kimblee had been right: he was a disgrace to himself, to his namesake.

"I- I swear, I'm not that horrible monster anymore! I'm not! I'm a different person! I wouldn't- I won't- hurt- you again. I'm s- sorry. I- really- am."

He was hiccupping, and his nose was starting to run, and he was still crying, and it was so _humiliating _to be seen like this, but Gluttony didn't know anything about being embarrassed, and it wasn't like it was a _wrong _reaction to have, and-

"Pride is the one who brought me back, right?"

Selim looked up from his knees, blinking so that he could see his brother through the haze of tears. Gluttony was staring at him, waiting for a response. Blankly, the boy nodded.

"Pride brought back Envy and Greed and Sloth too?"

He nodded again.

"And Lust." It wasn't a question this time. "Was it hard to bring us back, Pride?"

"Yes," Selim said, wiping his eyes and nose with the back of his sleeve. "It wasn't just hard; it was risky. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong. And if something _had_ gone wrong, it could have killed me."

Gluttony sucked on his finger for a few moments and his next words were slow, as if he was being very careful to work out the logic.

"I'm alive… because you risked your life for me…? And Lust is alive too. If we're alive again, then it's okay, Pride. You're sorry. Just don't eat me again, okay?"

_Huh. Looks like it _is _possible to cry out of joy. I wouldn't have thought it._

Selim beamed up at his younger brother through his tears. Gluttony was forgiving him. Still hiccupping, he laughed, "I promise! I won't eat you again!" then stood up and, afraid Gluttony might not want him to but wanting to nonetheless, darted forward and hugged his brother. As much as he could, anyway. Hey, it was still a hug even if he couldn't reach very far around, right?

Well, whether _his _hug counted didn't really matter, because the one that Gluttony returned, engulfing Selim in his thick arms and soft pudginess, definitely counted!

* * *

She could barely believe it.

Lust stood, watching unobtrusively from the hallway, as Pride proceeded to apologize to Gluttony. She watched, amazed, as he fell into a crying wreck. And she watched as Gluttony said something, and Pride answered, and Gluttony said something else, and suddenly Pride looked incredibly relieved, and the two smiled and hugged as if nothing bad had ever happened between them.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see that they've made up."

Lust turned to find that Lily had approached without her noticing. The old woman joined her in the hallway, peering into the room and smiling to see the two now happy and comfortable with each other.

"I don't know what the problem was, but at least they were able to get over it, right?" she asked.

Lust didn't reply. She certainly couldn't tell Pride's mother the true reason for Gluttony's fear; she doubted Lily would be smiling if she knew that her darling little son had killed and eaten his brother. Perhaps she wouldn't even believe it. If Lust had just watched that sickeningly touching scene without knowing anything else about the participants, she probably wouldn't have believed it either. Where was the older brother she knew? Could he really be such a good actor? Or was 'Pride' truly gone for good?

Lily must have read something in her expression, for her next words were surprisingly perceptive from what Lust knew of the woman, who had lived most of her life in happy oblivion.

"… Is he really so different from who you know?"

"Yes," Lust responded without hesitating. "I have never seen him cry before. I have never heard him apologize before. He was always calm, confident, in control."

"… And is it hard to see him this way now?"

Lust turned to look at Lily and read the unspoken question beneath her words.

_If he's so different from the person his own sister knew, then what side of him did I never see? How much was he hiding from me?_

Maybe it _was _hard to accept the changes, but Lust wasn't about to admit that to this… _stranger_. So Pride wanted Lily there. So he trusted her, cared about her in a disgusting parody of human emotion, but as far as Lust was concerned, she still considered Lily to be an invader in their lives. She could pretend friendliness on a superficial level, but she had no intention of revealing anything deeper to Pride's mother.

Deftly Lust redirected the question back at Lily.

"What about you? Is it hard to see him showing his other side?"

Lily looked at her blankly.

"I saw your face earlier, at breakfast. When he was reprimanding Envy," Lust clarified. "I take it you've never heard him speak in such a way before?" Wordlessly, Lily shook her head. "Do you not find it hard to hear him talk like that?"

Lily turned her gaze back to the living room, a pensive frown marring her brow. Pride and Gluttony were now both on their stomachs, flipping through the cooking magazine. It looked like Pride was explaining something, for his mouth was moving and he was pointing to something on the page, with Gluttony listening intently beside him.

"… Yes. It _is _hard," she said quietly. "I knew, when Edward brought Selim to me on… that day… that he was keeping some things back, things that he didn't think I should hear. I know that a lot has been kept from me, and I have no way of knowing what the truth is and what is a lie. I know that he was tricking me and I had no idea…"

Lust didn't know that Envy had asked a similar question the day before. "Then why? Why did you decide to raise him again if you knew he was just acting before?"

The smile that Lily gave was somewhat embarrassed.

"I know that he was just acting, but… I still love him. I'm still his mother, or, well, I guess I'm not really his _real _mother, but I've always considered myself to be his mother. And I _know _that even though he was tricking me, Selim loved me too. I know he did."

She kept her face blank, but inside, Lust scoffed. Could the poor woman not hear the contradiction in her own words? Pride had been _tricking _her, so she _couldn't _know that he had loved her. Any affection she felt from him could have been part of the act. She was a fool. She had to know she was a fool!

Lust knew it would upset the woman, knew it might cause problems later, knew it was cruel, but she couldn't resist pointing it out. She wanted to hear Lily's answer. She wanted to understand just what this woman was thinking, how she could reconcile that paradox in her own mind.

"It could all still be an act, you know. Maybe Selim is still tricking you, still tricking everyone, and you don't know it. How do you _know _it's not a trick?" she asked, voice harsher than she intended.

"I _don't _know," Lily replied gently. "I can't know anything for certain, but it doesn't matter. A mother doesn't just stop loving and caring about her son. I won't stop loving him even if it turns out that I'm still being lied to." Inexplicably, her voice firmed at the end. There was strength behind her words, a strength that surprised Lust coming from such a seemingly frail and light-hearted woman.

And with that answer, Lily left Lust where she was, joining the pair in the living room.

It didn't make any sense. It was foolishness on a scale that was rare even for humans. For all she knew, Lily could be aiding in her own destruction and she didn't care. She was willing to risk everything, sacrifice everything, for what? _Love?_

Lust couldn't understand it.

She didn't _want_ to understand it.

But she was left with the uncomfortable feeling that, somewhere, in some tiny part of her, that foolish human belief in a thing that didn't exist didn't sound quite as pathetic to her as it once had.


	11. Teacher

Number of words: 2,430

Published date: October 14, 2012

Began chapter: October 9, 2012

Finished chapter: October 13, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 11: Teacher**

"Just what is all this supposed to be?"

Greed stood at the table, staring in mild disbelief at the huge stack of books piled up in Pride- no, _Selim's_ "study room."

The room was as nice as every other room in the mansion: big windows, a few paintings, thick and sturdy table, gilding along the top and bottom of the walls, floor covered in an expensive-looking blue rug. And neatly tucked into the far corner, a large, shiny black grand piano. Ah, this was the life! How had they ever put up with that cold and gloomy lair underneath Central? Surely Pops _could _have created an equally comfortable home for them if he'd wanted to. Even though Greed could only remember having lived there for the short span of his second life, it amazed him to think that he _must _have put up with it in his first life at least for a while.

Selim rolled his eyes at him cheekily. "They're my textbooks, Greed. _Duh_."

Edward was picking through the bookcase, fingers playing along the spines of each book as he muttered under his breath.

"We left off on the post-transition metals, and that was a while ago, so we'll probably need a refresher on corrosion and oxidation… Let's see, where did that go…? Ah, here it is: Charnock's _Seed of Metals_." He pulled one of the books off the shelf and set it down on the already impressive stack on the table, then stood back, rubbing his chin and eyes scanning the shelf. "I thought there was a copy of _Quintessence_ as well… Hmm…"

It wasn't as if Greed was interested in Selim's alchemy training. Certainly not! He was just bored, and Ed had asked him to be Selim's fighting teacher, and Greed had innocently asked about Selim's study schedule, and Selim had been eager to drag him up to the room and show off how much he was learning, and why was it that smart kids bragged about how much work they did when Greed was quite happy to brag that he didn't have _any _work to do? Damn preppy kids had no idea how useless their knowledge was in the real world! Street smarts were far more useful.

Well, if he was going to train the brat, at least he'd have plenty of time to teach him the most basic of street smarts: dirty fighting. Sand in the eyes, blows to the groin, going for the throat, pulling hair, biting, the whole nine yards. If the kid held their lives in his hands, Greed was _not _going to let him be caught unable to protect himself.

He lifted the textbook from the stack, hefted it, set it down and shifted through some of the others.

"'_Principles of Spheres'? 'A Beginner's Guide to Algebra'? 'The Complete Encyclopaedia of Amestris's History'? 'Basic Geography'?_" He felt a headache coming on and he didn't even have to read them! He raised an eyebrow at Selim incredulously. "These aren't all alchemy, are they?"

"Nu-uh," Selim responded, shaking his head from where he stood perched on the desk's chair. "Those are my _school _textbooks."

"_School_? You go to school?" he asked. "First I've heard of that. Is it summer vacation or something?" But Selim, already distracted by one of the books, either didn't hear Greed's question or didn't consider it worth answering, and Ed was so intently focused on his own task that he definitely hadn't heard him.

He glanced over at Ms. Bradley, who had joined them for no particular reason that Greed knew of. (He assumed she had nothing better to do with her time either.) She gave him a sheepish look, as if embarrassed by the rude lack of response on her son and Edward's part.

"Selim is home schooled," she explained. "John was discreet about it, but he hinted that the military would be more… comfortable, I suppose, or accommodating… if I kept him out of the public school system. We didn't think to change his name until it was too late, and for someone my age to be raising him... Well, the coincidences might bring up difficult questions with his teachers and whatnot, so this just seemed like a safer choice. And even though the military doesn't know that he remembers everything, it's much nicer for Selim to learn like this. He's so smart, it'd be a shame to hold him back just so that he matches his 'age' compared to other children."

She spared a moment to smile proudly at her son, though Selim didn't see it. The kid had managed to pull Ed from the bookcase, and the two were leaning over a textbook, discussing electrotivity or negativogy or something like that; he wasn't really listening.

"John's arranged for special accommodations; the military handles the paperwork, and Selim goes in to take tests every few weeks. He has assignments and reports and such to complete as well. He's already doing work a few years above his peer group, and there _was _some concern over that, but Edward and Alphonse had already started teaching him alchemy at that point and they vouched for his… amnesia. What with history, geography, mathematics, Xingese, alchemy – That pretty much covers all of the sciences just by itself! – and his extra piano and violin lessons, he likes to keep a fairly structured schedule."

Greed's jaw dropped at the list.

"Isn't that, like, child abuse or something?"

"Child... abuse?" she repeated in confusion. "I'm not forcing Selim in any of his studies. He set his workload all on his own." She leaned over towards him and held up a hand to whisper conspiratorially, "I think he's hoping to beat Edward's record."

"What record?" Greed asked.

"His title as youngest State Alchemist. Edward joined the military when he was twelve, and I suspect Selim is pushing himself so hard so that he can beat that number."

Greed didn't know his older brother all that well, but it seemed like something Pride'd try to do. He chuckled lightly at her suggestion that it was a competition to him, then shrugged and replied, "Well, anything's possible. No reason why he can't manage to pull it off."

He fell silent for a moment, then turned back to her as he realized something.

"And you're okay with that?"

She didn't understand what he was implying immediately, so he elaborated.

"A child as State Alchemist? Pretty sure Ed only got away with that 'cause he's so skilled and he didn't have parents to say he couldn't. I mean, I'm hardly an expert on how mothers think, but I kind of expected you to be against something like that."

Ms. Bradley's green eyes went introspective for a moment and her hands unconsciously clasped her purple shawl, fidgeting with the fringe as she searched for the right words. She kept her voice low, clearly not wanting Selim to hear them now.

"... It's true, I'd prefer it if his aspirations weren't quite so... extraordinary. And if he succeeds, I won't be able to see him very often. But he's always wanted to become a State Alchemist, and now that the State Alchemy program has been revised, there wouldn't be any risk of him being called into combat. I'd still worry, of course; I'm his mother, after all! But I want him to be happy, and if this is what he wants, I'll do my best to support him."

Greed nodded vaguely. He couldn't say he was as familiar with wanting to help others get what they wanted (when compared to simply wanting what _he _wanted), but it was a desire all the same, so he could kind of see where she was coming from.

_Wait a minute; she said history, geography, mathematics, and-_

He began to paw through the stack of books again, ignoring Ed and Selim's looks of irritation at having their concentration broken. After just barely managing to catch one of the piles before the whole thing fell to the floor (He re-stacked it hastily so that it would probably fall right back over onto the next person who touched it.), he found what he was looking for:

A Xingese drill book.

He flipped it open, looked at what he assumed were lines of Xingese characters copied in Selim's small and neat handwriting. It was all gibberish to him, of course.

"Hey, kid," he said, holding the book up so Selim could see. "This is Xingese, right? You're studying Xingese?"

"Yeeaah?" Selim drew out his response, obviously not certain what Greed was getting at.

"Do you still have your beginner's books, or whatever they're called?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I want to look at them."

"Why? Do you want to study Xingese too?"

Greed shrugged as if he didn't really care either way. "Well, you know, if I wanna' get to Xing eventually, I might as well pick up some stuff beforehand, right?"

Ed looked impressed by the thought. "That's a good idea. You should go and talk to Al about it. He's the expert when it comes to Xing; I know nothing about the language. Or the culture. There were just so many other things going on at the time that Ling never had the chance to tell me about his country, and he left immediately after the final fight. Then again..." Ed paused and grinned at him jokingly. "You could very well know more than me, since you were stuck with him for so long. He can't have remained silent the entire time. Did he _ever _shut up? I mean, I like Ling and he's a great guy to have watching your back, but talk about never taking a hint! Once he decided I was his friend, I couldn't make him get lost no matter how hard I tried. And you _couldn't _get rid of him! He must've been really annoying, huh?"

Greed crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"Definitely in the beginning, but actually, he wasn't all that bad. Once he figured out that I wasn't interested in trading the world for a puny country, he pretty much stopped pestering me except for food. I think he settled on some kind of weird martial arts meditation or something; he stayed silent most of the time. And if I was bored and tried to strike up a conversation, he always managed to steer it in a direction where he'd be able to ask about our plans and secrets. Crafty brat." He chuckled to himself briefly. "Not that he ever tricked me, but still, he definitely took his position seriously."

In the background, Ms. Bradley sighed and huffed and put her hands on her hips in a mock display of annoyance. All three boys looked at her.

"What's up?" Greed asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied, smiling lightly to show that she wasn't really being serious. "Just another conversation that I couldn't completely follow."

Greed laughed at that.

"Sorry, Ma'am, but that's something you're just going to have to get used to!"

"I'm sorry, Mother, but it's really better that you don't-"

"I know, dear. I know," she reassured Selim.

Ed sighed, discreetly turning the conversation back to Ling.

"I'm running out of excuses for not visiting him. Now that the trains are running, having an automail leg doesn't cut it anymore. Roy's been teasing that I'm going to start a war between Xing and Amestris if I don't accept his invitations soon, and Al's been saying that the _last _thing I want to do is force Ling to come here instead. Apparently the fact that I haven't jumped at the Emperor's beck and call yet is scandalous enough in and of itself! The way Al puts it, the people of Xing think I'm some kind of uncouth, ill-mannered country bumpkin with no manners at all!"

"Then they're right on the mark, huh?"

"Hey!"

Greed laughed again and waved off Ed's indignation, leaving to find Alphonse and ask about Xingese lessons. It couldn't be _that _tough a language to learn. Right?

* * *

He stood corrected.

Man, did he stand corrected!

Alphonse hadn't even _gotten _to the actual lessons yet, and Greed already felt overwhelmed.

Al had been delighted when he heard Greed's request. An obvious passion for the country, its culture and language and people, shone in Al's eyes as he set out Selim's old Xingese books at the dining room table. He began to explain that before Greed could even think of starting to form sentences, he had to learn how to pronounce things, how to distinguish between a hundred or so characters that were essential to the language, how to use the all-important dictionary, how to properly write the characters, how they didn't write their sentences in the same direction and they didn't use the same punctuation, and... _Gah, I didn't sign up for _this_! I thought it would be- Well, okay, not _easy _per se, but certainly not _this _complicated!_

It felt weird to have two conflicting desires.

Greed wanted to learn Xingese, or at least enough of it to impress Ling.

He also didn't want to put in a whole lot of effort in doing so.

It had been exceedingly rare for him to come to an impasse as far as his avarice was concerned, and Greed wasn't really sure how to reconcile this dilemma. He tried for a shortcut-

_"Hey, Al, I'm sure it's better to learn this the long way, but isn't there some kind of quick and dirty phrasebook that would give me the basics?"_

_"No, trust me, you don't want to go that route. If you don't know the basics, the phrasebook will have you butchering the language so badly Ling will have no choice but to kick you out of the country."_

-but with that option gone, it looked like it would simply be impossible for him to have it both ways.

He listened to Al's eager instructions for his 'lesson plan', trying not to let his eyes glaze over at the avalanche of information, but when Al handed him the first few drill books and the dictionary and the beginner's guide and a few other "useful" volumes to round off the pile, Greed quickly took the load up to his room, dumped it on the desk, stared at it for a moment, and then shrugged.

_Well, Ling's already really good at _our _language anyway_, he thought. _It probably won't make any real difference if I learn it._

Being lazy: One.

Impressing Ling: Zero.

Oh well. He'd never claimed to be good at delayed gratification anyway!

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Charnock_: Thomas Charnock was an English alchemist and occultist. I found his name while randomly searching for scientific alchemy references. The books are made-up. Eventually I may go back and change the fake alchemy references to be real (for our world), but I'd rather not waste so much time researching such facts at the moment.

_Xingese_: I'm going with the idea that Xing has its own language (both written and spoken). We know for sure that they have a different writing system (from the note that informs Lan Fan that Ling got the Philosopher's Stone). It is less certain if their spoken language is different, for considering the lack of contact between the two countries, Ling, Lan Fan, Fu, and May all seem flawlessly proficient in speaking Amestrian/English. I don't know how to explain their proficiency except with the idea that they must have spent a lot of time preparing to travel to Amestris, rather than traveling to the country on a whim. Perhaps special language training is given to the Emperor's heirs and the heirs' attendants thanks to their elevated status in the kingdom. In any event, I believe that the canon Xingese characters are exceptions and that ordinary, common citizens do not speak a language that Amestrians would understand.


	12. Warning

Number of words: 4,604

Published date: October 21, 2012

Began chapter: October 18, 2012

Finished chapter: October 20, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 12: Warning**

"Hey, Win. It's me. Sorry I'm a little late in calling, it's just that we've been really busy. How are you doing? Is everything alright at home?"

Ed's voice, drifting up the stairs to where Envy stood on the landing with head cocked at the perfect angle to eavesdrop, paused momentarily to allow the person on the other end to answer.

'_Win'… Now why is that name familiar? Win. Hmm… Oh, that's right! The Pipsqueak's little girly friend! What was her name again? Winfred? Winnie? Something like that._

"Yeah, we're coming back tomorrow. Should get in sometime in the afternoon." A pause. "Haha, very funny. You can't believe I'm actually letting you know to expect me beforehand." Ed's tone was sarcastic but good-natured. "You don't need to be like that. I'm _much _better about that now! Besides, I'd hope getting a wrench in the head would train anybody-"

Ed cut off and Envy briefly heard a woman's voice speaking. Though he couldn't make out any words, Win sounded indignant. Ed's laughter, either at what she was saying or at her tone in general, drifted up the stairs to him.

"Yeah, the transmutation went fine," Ed responded to an unheard question. "Selim's a natural. I'm sorry that we've been gone for so long, but… Uh-huh, timing and all that… No, I wouldn't _dream _of boring you with the technical details. Just like _you _wouldn't dream of boring me with the technical details of automail!"

Another pause as Ed laughed again, indicating that he'd been teasing, and another brief snippet of indignant woman on the other end of the line. Envy darted a look down the hallway in both directions, then leaned as much as he dared over the railing, hooking a foot around a post for extra security to keep from falling over the edge. He wasn't being careful because he couldn't heal now; he wouldn't have wanted to fall either way. Pain sucked even if you _did _heal right after.

"The university called? _Twice_? I told them I would be away… You told them when I would be back, right? … Yeah, I don't know. They're becoming more pushy lately. I'm going to have to do something about that. It's probably because Al is such a push-over and they're used to dealing with him, so they think I'm the same way… Well, yeah, I enjoy lecturing too, but they can't just call and expect me to come running…"

_Interesting_, Envy thought. _I guess the Pipsqueak's working at a university now._ That actually sounded like a good place for him. Wasn't there a saying about how those who knew, did, and those who couldn't do, taught? If Edward couldn't perform alchemy but still had all of his knowledge, what else could he do _but_ teach?

"Oh, I almost forgot! I had to take a trip to Rush Valley- Oh, no reason. Mr. Garfiel says hi. He said you haven't called in a while. And can you _please _tell him to stop calling me 'cutie'? It's damn uncomfortable! … I know, and I don't care if he's like that with everyone, we're _married_ now and it's not-"

Envy briefly zoned out as the exchange became boring. He vaguely remembered Rush Valley as the place where this Win person had worked. Automail apprentice, if memory served.

Wrath had filled him in on the whole using-Ed's-childhood-friend-as-a-hostage situation, and Envy had volunteered to don his Second Lieutenant Striker disguise and drive down to the backwater town to bring her to Central, where he had handed her off to the Chimeras to escort her the rest of the way to Briggs. The chance to see the girl and secretly laugh at how holding her in their hands forced the Fullmetal Alchemist into compliant obedience… How could he pass that up? He hadn't said much – What was the point of talking to her? She was just a leash for Fullmetal – and the little blonde hadn't chatted either, instead opting to stare out the window with a line of worry marring her pretty little forehead. _Stupid thing. _What was the excuse for bringing her to the North? That Ed needed an automail upgrade because his regular automail wasn't equipped for the cold? So she was worried over whether or not he'd got frostbite, with absolutely no idea that she was a hostage. Ha! It was too rich! He'd barely been able to keep a straight face when she'd thanked him for the ride, leaving immediately for their lair to tell Gluttony because he had to tell _someone _and Wrath had never seen the humour in kicking the humans just for fun and he'd really wished Lust was still there instead because Gluttony didn't really get it either-

Envy snapped out of his sweet reminiscing when they switched topics again.

"… Sure, put him on the phone… Hey there, sport! What's up?"

Ed's voice paused and Envy puzzled over who 'sport' could be. Alphonse was here, so who else would be living at his home? Seemed weird that they'd have another houseguest if they were married…

"… Wow, _that _big? Really? You let it go, right?" Ed chuckled and Envy continued to be puzzled. Pipsqueak's voice had changed in tone and he had a hard time placing the difference. But he knew he'd heard the same thing before somewhere. Kind of… light-hearted? He wished he could see Edward's face, as it might have helped him place it. Frowning, he leaned a little farther over the railing in order to hear better.

"… Is that right? Well, listen, kiddo, I'll be back sometime tomorrow afternoon, so you can tell me all about it then, all right? Put your mother back on the phone for me."

The words clicked and Envy nearly toppled over the banister.

'_Put your mother back on the phone.'_

The Fullmetal Pipsqueak wasn't just married.

_He had a son._

"Hi again, Winry… Yeah, he just told me. When did he catch something like _that_? Though I guess we did the same things at his age-"

Envy stopped paying attention to the words as Ed's wife came back on the line, listening only to his tone of voice. Again, there were the subtle changes that he hadn't been able to put his finger on before but which he could now place.

Affection.

Warmth.

Happiness.

They were the same emotions that Hughes had had. _That _was where he'd heard them before: When Hughes had sat near him in the cafeteria or he'd passed the man on the phone, Envy hadn't been able to help overhearing the disgustingly syrupy way Hughes spoke, shoving photos of his _lovely _wife and _adorable _daughter under unwelcome noses, bragging about his _perfect_ family without ever realizing how… _Ugh, how damn _sickening_ it was!_

And now Fullmetal had that too.

His hand clenched like a vice around the railing. An old, familiar feeling wormed its way through his stomach and up into his chest, twisting his mouth and bringing bile to the back of his throat.

He'd shot Hughes and now Envy wished he could do it again. The infuriating man had been so… so inconsiderate! Meddlesome! Blinded by stupid feelings! He had died for what? Love? Idiot! He had been so… _human_! Scum of the scum! On a par with Fullmetal! One death wasn't enough for someone so repulsive! As if humans actually cared about each other! As if they weren't really just miserable, selfish worms only concerned about their own skins! As if-

His internal rant cut off mid-sentence. Because he remembered. He remembered those apparently final moments, Edward Elric's final words to him.

_Humans are supposed to be so much weaker than you Homunculi, and yet we still stand up to the challenge again and again. Those who are around us pick us back up. And…_

_You're envious of humans like that._

_No. No, that's not true! _Envy thought desperately. _I'm not… I _can't _be… This isn't jealousy, it's… it's… something else! It's justified! Just because I hate them and think they're pathetic doesn't mean…_

_Yes. It does. That's exactly what it means._

"Envy? Something wrong? You look-"

"I'm fine," he snarled at the former alchemist, who had apparently finished his phone conversation and made it upstairs without Envy noticing, which only served to worsen his mood.

Pulling himself from his thoughts back to the real world, however, Envy saw that Ed clearly didn't believe him. He quickly schooled his face to a neutral expression, but the young man's golden eyes didn't budge, studying him with a disconcerting blend of concern and scepticism. Stubbornly, Envy held the look and placed his hands challengingly on his hips, waiting for Ed to pursue the matter (in which case, he'd be a fool for wasting his time) or lose interest.

They continued the staring contest for a few moments, and then Ed shook his head slightly and sighed and turned away, starting to head down the hall.

"You told her about us?"

Envy's words caught Ed up short, and Envy was a little surprised himself that he'd spoken.

"You were eavesdropping, huh?" Ed asked, turning to give the former shape-shifter a hard look. Envy allowed a mocking smile to creep across his face and Ed appeared to realize that he shouldn't have been surprised by the spying. Perhaps, knowing Envy's former occupation, he held half the blame for not being more careful if he wanted privacy.

Ed visibly weighed his response before answering. "… No. I just told her that we were doing an experiment that involved the lunar eclipse. Winry doesn't know that Selim was a Homunculus; she thinks we've taken him as an apprentice for Madam Bradley's sake. And she doesn't need to know about… this. It'd be too hard to explain it to her anyway."

Envy let his grin grow wider, leaning back against the railing in an adoption of nonchalance.

"Keeping secrets from your wife? Tsk-tsk," he chided. "I thought you'd be better than that."

Ed didn't say anything. Compulsively, Envy kept talking to fill the silence.

"But she's a nice girl, isn't she? And did I hear that right? You've got a kid now? Well, isn't that just… _sweet_." He chewed out the word so sarcastically that it might as well have been a curse. "Our little Fullmetal Pipsqueak's all growed up. You used to be so cute and spitfire. Ah, and I never got any cute little pictures to stick in my photo album! What a shame."

Envy started to chuckle, but the noise died on his lips as Ed continued to stand there, staring at him silently, allowing the jibes to roll off him like water on a leaf.

_What will it take to get a rise out of him? There's got to be some button I can press._

And the most annoying part was Ed's expression. He looked… thoughtful. His eyes were introspective, as if he was listening not to Envy's words, but to something else. Was it just his imagination, or was there the slightest tinge of pity there?

"Must be nice," he continued in his lightest, breeziest voice. "You got everything you wanted. Acted as the hero and saved the country. Beat the bad guys. Got you and your brother's bodies back. Have a family now. The hero won and now lives happily ever after. That's what you humans believe, isn't it? Well, certainly looks like the case here. You even get to play all-forgiving deity with _us_." He watched the unspoken protest on Ed's face at that, but didn't allow him to voice it, and began studying his nails to further add to the affection that his words were of no real consequence. "Hardly seems fair. But then again, if you have everything, the only thing left is to _lose_ what you have."

Had he been too subtle?

Envy flicked his eyes surreptitiously to the side to study Ed's face and watch the changes in his expression, and internally smirked. The tight feeling in his chest twisted and coiled in pleasure.

_Oh, no. He knows _exactly _what I meant._

The golden-haired young man went from oddly thoughtful to blankly confused and then to slowly dawning anger. His jaw tightened and red flushed up into his face. His fists clenched at his sides.

Envy was just starting to congratulate himself on having finally gotten a reaction when Ed took a step towards him. In the blink of an eye, far too quickly for Envy to react, Ed was there in front of him, hands shooting out to grab him by the collar, pulling him up into his face, forcing him to meet Ed's fierce gold eyes.

_Fool. If I wanted you dead, all I'd have to do is change my arm and drive it through your chest-_

But no: He couldn't shape-shift anymore.

_Crap! _Envy thought, suddenly frantic as it dawned on him that he'd pushed too far, had crossed a line and didn't have the ability to fight back. His back was pressed against the railing and the drop to the first floor suddenly loomed as a far more dangerous fall than it had seemed before. And though he had studied Edward's body in an academic way earlier, the six years now made a much greater difference. Ed's arms were stronger, shoulders broader, height now seeming to tower over him even though he was really no more than a head taller than Envy. Comparatively, Envy's body was weaker than it had ever been. Scrawny, wiry, he could still land a few blows, could still put up a struggle, but he was no match for Fullmetal like this and both of them knew it.

"Listen carefully, Envy," Ed bit out, the anger in his voice tightly reined and all the more intimidating than his childish tantrums of before. "Don't. You. Dare. Don't you _dare_ even _think _about hurting my family!"

Envy didn't waste his time trying to struggle out of Ed's grip. The feeling, sickening and horrible and yet oh so familiar to him that he couldn't remember _not_ feeling it, distorted his face into his own snarl of bared teeth and furious eyes.

"Let go of me!" he growled.

It didn't faze Ed in the slightest.

"I want to make something very clear to you: I haven't forgotten what you've done, and I haven't forgiven it. The Ishvalan Civil War, Hughes…" Ed's arm trembled for a moment. "They're _not _forgiven. Selim said you're here because you can change and I get that you were following your father's orders and everything, but I don't mind telling you that I stood against bringing you back more than any of the others. In fact, if there'd been any choice in the matter, I wouldn't have allowed it. The only reason you're alive and getting this second chance is because we needed _five_. Five was the magic number to make the transmutation work. The quinary array to tie your souls to Selim's Stone would have fallen apart if we didn't bring back all five of you. So you don't just have us and Selim and Ms. Bradley to thank for being here; we couldn't let _you _hold your siblings back from getting a second chance. It wouldn't have been fair. Though I suppose it would have been typical for what you are."

The words were like a whiplash across his face. It was one thing for them to be true, but quite another for the principled alchemist to be taking such low shots. He'd never have expected Ed to rub dirt into a wound like this.

Stunned by the blunt cruelty of what he was hearing, Envy's snarl fell from his face and Ed, seeing that Envy was actually listening to and understanding his words, released his hold on the Homunculus's shirt and stepped back. His initial anger was already dissipating, returning to reserved and pensive. Again, Envy thought he saw a hint of pity in Ed's eyes, but surely he was just seeing things. This was hardly the situation for pity.

"I get it; I do. In a way, you couldn't help being the way you were any more than Gluttony could help being hungry or Greed could help being greedy. But to say that you were forced to act out of jealousy is just an excuse. The fact is that you were cruel and sadistic and enjoyed every bit of pain you caused, and even if you _can _change, I'm not convinced that you deserve the chance."

Now it was Envy's turn to clench his fists, to feel his face start to burn with rage, to want to lash out and grab the alchemist and spit in his face. It _was _pity! The damn human was _pitying _him!

"Shut up!" he hissed. "_Shut up_! You don't- You don't have the right to talk about us like that! Like you know-"

Ed ignored him, overrode his words as if he couldn't hear him.

"But you're here and alive again, and I really do hope that you can change. I don't want to have to kill you." The pity left Ed's eyes. He barely gave Envy enough time to register shock before his voice and expression hardened mercilessly. "But if you try to hurt my family, try to threaten them, even try to meet them or talk to them… If you kill or hurt _anyone_, I won't hesitate to stop you. In whatever way is necessary."

There was no mistaking what Ed meant when he said that.

They stared at each other.

Neither moved. Neither blinked.

And then Envy began to laugh.

He laughed and laughed and didn't even care if there was a tinge of mania to it, because Fullmetal had really had him going, and here he'd been taking him so seriously too, and if only the poor boy hadn't made that mistake, he might have believed him!

"Sorry, Pipsqueak!" he managed once he caught his breath. "I just can't believe you'd try to lie to me like that!"

Ed was completely thrown off by his reaction. "I'm not lyi-"

"Oh, right! Suuure," Envy mocked, putting a hand on his hip and pointing a finger at Fullmetal. "You expect me to believe that you'll _kill _me? When you couldn't kill the Slicer brothers, you couldn't _shoot _me even to save your friend, and you even refused to kill Pride! And Kimblee was quite happy to divulge your cute little resolve to _not _take life!"

"Kimblee did? When did he-"

"Who cares? What matters is that your bluff is quite exemplary – Really, I'm impressed! And that's coming from a much greater liar than you'll ever be! – but you should have considered who you were trying to trick here!"

He started to laugh again. Although, as he thought about it, it was kind of insulting that Ed had thought he'd fall for it so easily. Why did everyone think he was an idiot? He'd done tons of smart things: He'd taken Hughes' wife's form to kill him, and for what he'd been doing, he was quite proud of that sudden burst of inspiration. He'd been the one responsible for Ishval, and even though pulling the trigger hadn't been at all difficult, choosing the victim and setting and timing that would create the greatest reaction had been up to _him_, and that had required some thought beforehand. He'd been the one with the clever idea, when they'd been worried about the activities of the 5th Laboratory being discovered, to use the researchers to create another Stone. Geez, why did no one give credit where credit was due?

He didn't see the anger and sudden resolve on Ed's face.

In his mirth, he was too distracted to counter what came next.

Ed moved quickly and skilfully. In one swift, sweeping motion, he ducked down, put a hand on the floor, and threw his left leg out straight under Envy's legs.

Envy didn't see the attack coming and he suddenly discovered that Ed hadn't gotten his _whole _body back (The automail leg was like being smacked by a crowbar and it damn well hurt!), but his reflexes were good enough to keep him from sprawling on his back and at his opponent's mercy. Halfway down on his hands and knees, he cursed and tried to scramble up in time to meet whatever came next, but he didn't have the chance.

Ed came up behind him, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind his back in a way that sent pain shooting through the limb. He tried to pull away, but that only made the pain worse.

"Ow, ow, ow! What the hell are you doing?! Let go of me!"

"You think I'm bluffing?" Ed demanded harshly. "That I won't kill you if I have to? Then maybe I need to make you see just how serious I am."

Twisted around the way he was, Envy couldn't see what Ed was doing, and Ed couldn't see the vicious snarl on Envy's face as he struggled again to free himself, biting down on his tongue to keep from admitting to the pain, throwing his leg back in a poor attempt to catch Ed in a vulnerable spot and force him to release his grip.

_I don't care about the consequences; he can't do this to me and get away with it! I'm going to kill him for this! No. His family. His family'll be way worse! He thinks his life is so good, I'll-_

He didn't get a chance to finish that train of thought.

Ed's hand came down in a quick chopping motion onto the back of Envy's neck and, at the same time, he released his grip on Envy's arm.

Fireworks exploded before his eyes. His stomach writhed and churned and tried to go up and down simultaneously. His legs suddenly turned to water underneath him and, without Ed holding him, Envy collapsed to the floor like a dead body.

_What… What happened? How did he…? What did he _do_?_

He coughed and gasped for breath and struggled to get up, but it felt as if someone had just raked every nerve in his body. His muscles were useless; he couldn't move them, could barely get them to twitch. Breathing was hard. He couldn't move his head, but his eyes were still under his control and he looked up and there was Fullmetal standing over him, _looming _over him, and he looked a lot bigger from the ground like this.

It was the same position he'd been in before: At his enemy's mercy, defenceless on the ground, humiliated. But unlike the last time, there was no sympathy in Ed's eyes.

This was a lesson, and he wanted to make sure Envy learned it.

"Do you understand?" His words were hard to hear; his ears weren't picking sound up right, as if the radio wire wasn't plugged in all the way. "You're not just vulnerable because of Selim and the Stone. You have a second weakness."

The feeling of raked nerves was starting to fade. Envy tried to move his limbs again and found that they responded. Not completely, but enough to let him push himself up weakly onto his hands and knees. To lift his head so that he could look Fullmetal straight in the face.

With the fading of the attack's effect came hatred: white-hot, livid, burning hatred. The coiled feeling in his chest reared and screamed, _Don't look down on me! _and Envy would have said it, would have screamed it for the whole house to hear, he didn't care, but Ed was still speaking.

"I don't want you to take this as a threat. You're not a prisoner here, or a slave. You can choose your own actions; you're a person too even if you're not completely human, and I'm not so arrogant as to dictate your life.

"But I'm not a child anymore. Six years is a long time for a person to change. Do you really want to bet that I'm bluffing on the hope that I'm the same person I was when you last knew me? It's your choice, but I promise you: If you start to drift back to your old ways, I'll tear you off your own neck and kill you myself."

Staring into Ed's face, staring at the stony cold set in his jaw and the utter lack of apology in his eyes, Envy believed him.

It didn't matter. It didn't change anything. His jealousy was still there, still tearing inside his chest, clambering to hurt this man who had friends, a loving family, happiness – _everything_ – and it wasn't fair! Why did he have it all? What had he done to deserve it? It wasn't fair!

_I want it too! I want what they have! _

And, as if reading his mind (or maybe his thoughts were plain to see on his face; Envy could barely see anything through the chaos in his mind, hadn't even thought to try to hide them; the emotions were too strong to be bothered by such a small thing), Ed said one final thing to him:

"If you're jealous of the way humans help each other, of friends and family, then why not work at conquering that? You can't get those things by taking them away from others. You can only get them by _being _a good person. This is the perfect place to learn. Selim and Ms. Bradley already care about you; they'll teach you if you let them. I'm not asking you to just jump in with a bunch of strangers and fake what you don't feel, but… Just try. I said I didn't know if you deserve a second chance, but you've got one and you might as well make the best of it. _Anyone _can change. You don't _have _to be jealous."

_I don't…? I don't _have _to be jealous? What does that even feel like? How can you know you're right? What if I try and it doesn't make any difference? What if-_

But he didn't ask any of it. He didn't say anything, and Ed left him there.

To recover and calm down.

To think.

To consider.

And maybe, just maybe, to accept.

* * *

"I can't believe you did that, Brother."

"I had to. He thought I was bluffing. I had to prove that I wasn't."

"… But you _were_."

"No, I wasn't. I mean it: I'll do whatever it takes to stop him from hurting anyone."

"Including _killing _him?"

"…"

"You know you can't do it, Brother."

"… But what if I _have _to? What if there's no other way to protect them?"

"You still won't."

"… Fine. You're right. What would _you _do then?"

"I don't know. I'd have to figure it out in the moment. But I know I wouldn't kill him either."

"Well, as long as he thinks I meant it, hopefully it'll never come to that… and hopefully, he'll take this chance to change things."

"I think he will."

"Yeah, but that's no surprise, coming from you. You're such an optimist!"

"… I think he will because I'm sure he doesn't want to be the way he is any more than we do. I can't even imagine feeling that way. Imagine, being jealous all the time… Surely no one wants that."

"Mmm… Well, I guess it's not up to us. It's up to Selim and Ms. Bradley now to help him change. And, in the end, whether a person changes or not is up to them. If Envy wants to change, he's got to do it himself."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Envy's experience with Winry_: My proposition that Envy met Winry when she traveled from Rush Valley to Fort Briggs is not a part of canon in either the anime or manga, but it seemed like Envy knew Zampano. If he knew Zampano, he probably knew the other Chimeras, and if that was the case, he must have met them somehow. Why not when dumping Winry off on them to take her to Briggs?


	13. Hidden Truths

Number of words: 4,889

Published date: October 28, 2012

Began chapter: October 21, 2012

Finished chapter: October 24, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 13: Hidden Truths**

When Envy entered the room and stood for a moment in the doorway, Lust didn't look up from her work at the living room table. It was not their custom to greet each other every time they met; if Envy wanted something, he would speak up right away. And if not, he should be able to tell just by looking that she was busy and not open to being bothered by the inane chit-chat or gossip to which he was prone.

It was only when he crossed the space and threw himself down on the couch beside her – or perhaps 'collapsed' was a better word – that she looked up in irritation, ready to reprimand him for disturbing her. Envy didn't normally throw himself into furniture like that. He'd learned early on to curb the impulse to copy Greed in that regard; his finicky weight (which, even after mastering his human form, had still given him trouble) had immediately broken the legs on their couch when he'd tried it, sending him sprawling on the floor amidst shattered wood and ruined upholstery. It had only taken that one time to make him more cautious and gentle when sitting down even after figuring out the weight dilemma.

The reprimand died on her lips.

In all their years together, she had never seen him look so shaken. He wasn't looking at her. Red-purple eyes stared blankly at the wall. His face was drawn and pale – even paler than the light skin that he favoured. His right hand made a tight fist on his thigh; the other compulsively clawed at the couch arm. He was trembling, and a light sheen of perspiration stood out on his brow below the headband.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked, but he didn't blink, giving no indication that he'd even heard her.

Irked by how he was ignoring her, she tried his name, but when that also got no response, she repeated it while reaching over and poking his arm. And that finally elicited a reaction, though all he did was turn his head and look at her, still in a daze.

"I _said_, what's the matter with you? Is something wrong with your body?" she guessed, based on the way he was trembling and sweating. "Because if that's the case, we should get one of the brothers to-"

"No!" He snapped right out of his stupor at that, responding with a suspicious edge of panic in his voice, which he apparently heard as well, for he moderated his tone with his next words. "No, it's- it's nothing. I'm fine."

_And why do I not believe that in the slightest?_

Lust pondered for a moment, then smirked as another possibility occurred to her.

"Oh? Then perhaps they finally roughed you up for frightening Ms. Bradley?"

"Huh?" He started in surprise. "How'd you know about that?"

She sat back and crossed her legs, drawing tight the blue fabric of another new dress. It would still be several more days before she'd tried on everything in her wardrobe, and the dress was nice even if plainer than she liked. The hardest thing to get used to was having bare hands, for despite Pride and Lily's considerate preparations, gloves were the one thing they'd forgotten to provide. Lust wasn't sure she'd ever _had _bare hands before; her eyes kept catching on them, distracted by the soft skin, long fingers, and tapered nails. Nails that were sharp, but ordinary, lacking any use as a weapon. The reminder was annoying, but she wasn't willing to let that be known to the Elrics by asking that they create a pair of gloves for her.

"Please. You thought I wouldn't notice it?" she said stiffly. "It's true that Lily has been trying to hide it. I imagine she doesn't want to cause a stir so early, but it's clear she's scared of you. Women must be the only ones smart enough to sense the tension that men are too doltish to pick up on." Perhaps that didn't give men enough credit, but Lust had only ever been impressed by how much they missed when compared to how much they noticed. The subtle undercurrents of a woman's feelings were apparently incomprehensible to the other sex. That was, if they didn't go right over their heads.

Envy didn't protest at that, but he'd never considered himself a member of either gender, so he probably didn't think the insult applied to him. Maybe it didn't.

"So? What did you say to her?"

Envy grinned at the question, but he still seemed a little shaken and he didn't answer with the same enthusiasm that he ordinarily would have.

"Aw, I just asked her what she was thinking by letting Pride bring us back like this."

Lust merely raised an eyebrow, but it conveyed the same message as if she'd spoken aloud: _That was it? I doubt that._

He chuckled lightly, lost a bit of the tension in his body.

"Well, I _may_ have said something about how Pride told me to be nice, and I _may _have added that my version of being nice is not killing someone. But surely you don't think _that _was what scared her, do you?"

His wide-eyed look of innocence made Lust smile and give a small chuckle as well, though in the next breath, she was chastising him.

"You shouldn't have bothered her, Envy. You've just made things more difficult."

He shrugged, completely unapologetic, and Lust's tone took on a steely edge.

"It's _your_ fault that I haven't been able to catch Pride alone. Lily practically refuses to leave his side now. If you had actually thought about it and not wasted your time trying to cause trouble, we'd know by now-" Her voice dropped in volume warily. "-if Pride is tricking them. And lucky for you, the Elrics haven't noticed anything, or they'd postpone leaving for fear that you'd do something to her and we'd be stuck with them even longer."

He winced at the accusation, and not just for Lust's unintentional reference to his confrontation with Ed. Lust was right. He hadn't thought it through. Scaring the old woman had been fun, but it had been a foolish thing to do.

In the next moment, he glared at her indignantly.

"Well, if _I've _been wasting so much time, what have _you _been doing that's so important, huh? Wasting all your time _reading_! And on those stupid newspapers no less!"

Lust gave him a very level look.

"Yes, Envy, I've just been _wasting _all of my time with these _stupid_ newspapers," she replied frostily. "These newspapers that Pride hand-picked specifically to help us learn about the past that we've missed." She sat forward and plucked one of the article clippings from the table, waving it in his direction. "Would you like to hear what I've discovered, or are you so smart that you know all about it already? Like how, from these records and my reckoning, the humans never managed to round up all the chimeras from underneath Central? Or like how Pride sugar-coated Amestris's relations with the neighbouring countries? Tell me, did you know that the military is experiencing pressure over the Xingese railways and Ishval? So tell me again that I've been _wasting _my time."

He ignored the insults laden in her voice and tried to snatch the paper from her as she waved it under his nose.

"What? Really? Aw, don't be like that, Lust! Let me see!"

Rolling her eyes, she gave up the proffered paper and Envy gave it a quick perusal, muttering the headline under his breath.

"'_Xing-Ishval trade policy linked to illegal trade, immigration'_… I thought Pride said everyone was benefiting from the rails?"

"He did, but obviously there've been some unforeseen complications."

Envy read aloud from the article. "It says here that 'since the Amestrian-Xingese Railway opened two and a half years ago, police forces in the East and South have seen a sharp rise in illegal imports in the form of Xingese weapons and drugs, as well as increasing numbers of foreigners entering the country without passports. In addition, the military reports that Amestrian criminals, with the East now open as an easily accessible escape route, are fleeing to Ishval and Xing in order to escape justice'… How long ago was this written?" His eyes flicked to the top of the sheet. "_'November 15, 1920'_? What's the date now?"

Lust leaned across the table, which was covered with piles of carefully arranged papers, and tapped the top of one of the stacks.

"This is today's," she answered. "July 8, 1921."

"So about half a year ago…" This was a far more preferable topic to think about than Ed's threat. Or had it really been advice? Envy didn't want to think about it, would much have preferred to forget that it had even happened. He still felt ill, and not just from Ed's words; despite how well they had merged his human body with his true body, it was evident that his little parasitic form did _not _like pain and did not recover quickly. The feeling of raked nerves was still present even if it _was_ fading. "If there've been problems, why didn't Pride mention it when he was on the topic earlier?"

Lust shrugged lightly, flicking a curl of wavy black hair back behind her shoulder.

"I can think of several reasons, but most likely he didn't want to mention it in front of the Elrics when they might take it as scheming. He had to paint a pretty picture for us in front of them. But there are other articles on the same subject. It is subtle, but if one reads between the lines, there appear to be quite a number of citizens who are dissatisfied with the government's new policies."

Envy stood up as Lust continued speaking, moving to crouch down on the other side of the table, now just as interested in the articles as Lust was.

"Many people – especially those in Central – are quite content with the negotiations with Creta, Aerugo, and Ishval. But there are many from towns on the borders that still bear grudges against the other nations for the blood they spilled. They seem to resent that Amestris has given up, as it were, halfway through the conflict. And despite the earlier disdain for State Alchemists, now that the program has been reformed, there are complaints _against _the State Alchemists' removal from combat. Funny how they're now feeling vulnerable without the cursed Dogs of the Military to protect them. Miserable creatures," she muttered under her breath. "They really are hopeless, aren't they? Although it's somewhat gratifying to know our work wasn't completely wasted."

Envy pulled one of the stacks into his lap. The date at the top was from June 1915. The headline read, _Grumman officially instated as new Fuhrer_. A quick flip through the papers showed that they were all from a few months after the Promised Day. Due to their age, they had a yellow and faded look when compared to the more recent pages.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he commented without looking up. "The crests of blood are already carved. It makes no difference if they're fighting or not."

He didn't realize she was staring at him until halfway through the article, when he happened to glance up.

"What?"

Lust shook her head, placing her arm on the couch arm and resting her chin in her hand.

"It's nothing. It's just… not like you to say something like that."

He blinked and played back his own words slowly in his head. She was right. Between the two of them, Lust was by far the more practical when it came to human death. She'd seen the fighting as the means to the end, and he'd enjoyed it without even thinking of the goal. Why in the world had he said that it didn't matter if the humans were still fighting? He should have been delighted by that knowledge. Instead, he felt oddly indifferent.

But there was no quick way to explain it, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "Guess I'm out of practice. It's been six years, after all. Give me a break!" and she accepted the excuse without a word.

Lust didn't say anything else, allowing him to read without distraction, and the next time he glanced up, Envy saw that his sister had closed her eyes. Well, she had already read everything and it was fairly late in the evening. He didn't blame her for being tired.

Envy didn't know whether it had been Lust or Pride who had marked the articles that were most important. Little red ticks inconspicuously indicated where to focus his attention, but it took him several papers to figure out why they hadn't done more – highlight important phrases or make notes in the margins or something like that. It was because, if the Elric brothers examined the newspapers when they were obviously marked with topics of interest to the Homunculi, it could easily give away any situation that Pride hoped to exploit.

_If _Pride was planning anything.

_He'd _better_ be tricking them_, Envy thought. _He's got to be! He's _Pride_. And Pride wouldn't allow the humans to beat him like this. Of course not! I don't know about the alchemy bit, but if he brought us back, he obviously needs our help and we'd be a lot more useful with our powers, so he must not have had any choice on that front. And screw Ed for saying that stuff about not wanting me! I bet Pride just let him think that because _I'm _the most important to whatever he's planning! Yeah, that's it!_

He nodded to himself confidently, squashing the hurt feeling that Ed had been right, that no one cared if he was alive or not, into the back of his mind.

_No matter what Fullmetal says, Pride won't let them kill me. And he's just spouting that human garbage to get their defences down. He's probably got it all planned out: We'll make a new Stone, and there'll be some way to bring Father back, and we'll destroy them all and they won't even see it coming, and it'll all be the Elrics' fault!_

That it would all be the Elrics' fault was like icing on the cake.

But then, what about what Ed had said?

_If you're jealous of humans, then why not work at conquering that?_

Could he really do it? Was there really some way for him to be rid of this feeling? What if Ed was right? If Ed was right, killing everyone in Amestris, no, everyone in the whole world wouldn't be enough to rid himself of his own particular sin.

_Don't think about it. Just wait until the Elrics leave and Pride tells us the truth of what's going on, and then I can figure it out._

Envy turned his attention back to the oldest articles.

There were several more about Fuhrer Grumman, and although the old man was praised as a good and wise leader for the country during its troubled times and was eccentric on the same level as Wrath, the differences in their styles of leadership came across loud and clear. Wrath had run a tight ship; by comparison, Grumman was laid back and casual. It seemed even the reporters writing the articles had been thrown for a loop at the different direction intended for the country with Grumman at the helm. Military involvement in the parliament immediately went down. Treaties were sent out to the neighbouring nations. The State Alchemist program was changed. Democracy and peace were like catchwords sprinkled throughout the texts. Grumman really seemed to care about getting the populace on his side.

There were articles about construction in Central after the events of the Promised Day. Half of Central Command had apparently been blown clean away; the article didn't mention how. After Mustang and Armstrong's rebellion, the city had been left in shambles from the fighting. There were notices to avoid certain areas until the authorities could check the structural integrity, a few mentions of how citizens could report any damages to their property caused during the uprising, and invitations to the public to report to the nearest hospital if they had been injured or were experiencing prolonged symptoms from the "widespread lack of consciousness".

It was on the same topic that Envy found the reference to the chimeras that Lust had mentioned. Some of the damage had split the ground and opened up into the sewers where the chimeras lived. Without any of the Homunculi or their father to keep control over them, the remaining beasts had surged out to the surface when construction crews entered their domain to begin repairs. Many had been killed, but from the sounds of it, not all, for as Envy flipped through and compared the dates, reports of sightings of strange creatures around the forests outside Central lasted for months after. There were a few deaths associated with the alchemically-created monsters and citizens were warned to be extra cautious when traveling outside the city. The police only lifted the warnings when nothing had been sighted for several months. That in no way guaranteed that the chimeras were all dead, but the things could have died off naturally and they'd never had a case of one giving birth before, so Envy didn't get his hopes up that there were any still alive to regain control of.

With that pile done, he stood up and rooted through the other stacks, looking for something interesting.

"Hey Lust, where's the stuff on Ishval?" he asked.

Lust cracked an eye open and gave him a mild frown at having disturbed her before stretching, dragging it out to make him wait as punishment. He tapped his foot impatiently.

"Ishval?" she finally repeated, sitting forward on the couch to examine the papers. "Those are fairly scattered; it was a long project, over several years. I believe the first mention of it begins… around this time." She paused to draw one of the papers out and flip it open, searching for the proper page. "Here," she said, holding it out for him to take.

He waved his hand instead, affecting a pained expression.

"Aw, that's too much work. I don't wanna' read all of it. Just tell me the important stuff."

It wasn't very fun to have her irritated and unimpressed look levelled in his direction, but if there was one thing Envy had always been impressed by in his older sister, it was her patience. With him, with Gluttony, and with Greed before he ran away. It must come with age, he thought, for both she and Pride were the most patient of the Homunculi. Or maybe it had to do with her particular sin; she'd never managed to adequately explain to him exactly what 'lust' meant, though he understood the general idea, and it didn't sound like something that necessitated a lack of patience the way greed and gluttony did.

Either way, she gave him "the look" and sighed and reprimanded that '_she _had had to put in the effort, so he should have to do the same' and insulted that _this _was why his plans were never thought through all the way, and he bore it and waited because he knew she would give in eventually.

"All right. The first mention is a few months after the Promised Day. The Fuhrer makes a statement about the military's reversal of the Ishvalan policy and his intention to "right the wrongs committed" to the Ishvalan people. And a week or two later there's an article discussing Mustang's role in the resettlement project. The focus is on the 'humanitarianism' of the 'Hero of Ishval'…"

Envy rested his elbows on the table, propped his chin in his hands, and listened with half a mind as his sister expounded on what she had discovered, but he kept getting distracted by his own thoughts.

_Ishval was one of our greatest accomplishments, but it sounds like they've already recovered. Damn, but that really grinds on my nerves! We couldn't kill all the Amestrians, but we could have at least killed all the Ishvalans!_

_Lust is wrong: She thinks our work will last, but in a few years – maybe five or ten or more, but not long in the grand scheme of things – there'll be just as many Ishvalans as before and in a few generations they won't even remember the war. Humans live such short lives… and they forget things so quickly because of it. We lived way longer than they do, but if we die, eventually it'll be like we never existed too._

He could feel the familiar feeling starting to worm its way into his chest again. Damn it all, he wasn't even thinking about something that he could be jealous of! Was he? Not unless it was the capacity of humans to survive and remain optimistic in the face of mortality – but that was just because they were stupid, ignorant bugs! It was hardly praiseworthy! Or was that just jealousy talking again? Was he going to have to doubt his every thought now?

Disgusted with himself, Envy interrupted Lust with the first thing that popped into his head.

"Hey, Lust, would you miss me if I wasn't here?"

It was at times like this that he really wished he could learn to keep his big mouth shut. Sure, the question was loosely connected to what he'd just been thinking and Ed's words were still fresh in his mind, but at Lust's startled look, Envy desperately wished he could take the words back.

"What's this? Have you become sentimental so quickly?" she asked disdainfully.

He felt the blood rise to his face, embarrassed and angry at her tone of voice. She didn't have to sound so condescending!

"Besides," Lust continued coolly, "if anyone should be asking that question, it's me. From what I've heard, none of you did anything to Mustang after he killed me."

Envy stared at her with his mouth open.

"But that was-! Lust, we had to leave him alive! He was a candidate for sacrifice!"

"Of course he was," she scoffed. "And I'm glad you didn't waste him on something as petty as vengeance. But the fact that you just had the opportunity to tell me that you killed some of his subordinates and you didn't means that he was let off without any punishment. Isn't that so?"

"No, it wasn't- It wasn't like that! Gluttony was distraught over losing you, and I would have torn his spine out if Wrath hadn't gotten in the way-"

"It doesn't matter what you _would _have done," she interrupted brusquely. "What matters is that you did nothing. Why should I say that I'd miss you when you didn't miss me enough to do anything about it?"

"I-" His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, because there was no way he was going to admit to something so corny as having missed her. She shouldn't have turned the question around like that! It wasn't fair; they'd had no choice in the matter and she'd just said she was glad they hadn't wasted the bastard Colonel by killing him, so she didn't have the right to demand something like this!

"I'm not apologizing!" he bit out angrily, stubbornly.

"And I'm not going to admit to something so _human _as hypothetically missing you," she countered.

"Hey hey, here's the beautiful swan and the ugly duckling! Was wondering what you two were up to. What's going on? Am I interrupting something?"

Their stalemate broke off as Greed entered the room, and both would have been more thankful for the interruption if he hadn't been so boisterous and cheerful. Envy turned around and gave him a death glare, but Greed just laughed and grinned and didn't give Envy the chance to spit out a retort.

"What do ya think?" he asked, tugging his new clothing straight and standing taller to give them a better look.

He was wearing a black leather vest with a ruff of white fluff around the collar.

Both of them recognized it.

"You've remembered then?" Lust asked.

"Hmph, all you need is the dorky glasses and the wristbands and to get a haircut and you'll look just like your old ugly self," Envy commented dryly.

Greed paused and stared at them blankly.

"What're you two talking about? Remember what? This is pretty slick, isn't it! Alphonse just made it for me. Can you believe the kid has such good taste? Course, it's too warm to be wearing in summer, but it still looks pretty damn good! Which shouldn't be a surprise; I make everything look good!"

Envy and Lust glanced at each other. It appeared that Greed still had the same tastes, but he didn't remember having them. Envy made a disgusted face and abruptly stood up, heading for the doorway.

"Ugh, I'm not in the mood to deal with his crap, Lust," he called in a surly voice over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

"You should see Alphonse sometime before they leave too!" Greed called after him. "It won't kill you to get a new outfit! And even if _you _have the worst fashion sense ever, Al knows a thing or two about-"

"Screw you, Greed," Envy replied, waving his middle finger behind him without turning around.

Eager to have the last word, Greed called out, "You're hardly my type!" but Envy was already too far away to retort. "Well, I guess it's just the two of us, huh, toots?" he said, turning back to Lust and grinning.

Nostalgia forced her to respond with her own coy smile. Except for their brief reunion upon his capture at Wrath's hand, they hadn't seen each other in a hundred years. He had betrayed them and for that, Lust would have done the same as Wrath had done: attack mercilessly and, if she was lucky, catch him by surprise before he could get his Ultimate Shield up. But there was no denying that life in the Homunculi's lair had lost much of its energy and charm with his parting.

If he didn't remember her, then he also wouldn't remember this part of their game:

She was Lust the Lascivious and he was Greed the Avaricious, but denying him something he wanted was a thousand times more pleasurable.

Taking her smile as a good sign, Greed threw himself down on the couch beside her, started to throw his feet up on the table and then stopped because of the papers, and brought his arm onto the back of the couch and above her shoulder in a playful show of familiarity.

She didn't give him a chance to try for more.

Just as he began to sidle closer, she abruptly stood up and moved around the table, gathering up the papers Envy had left on the floor and asking in a neutral tone, "Do you know where everyone else is?"

He was thrown for a loop by her sudden change in mannerism but answered readily enough.

"Uh, Glutt's in the garden with the Missus. I think she's teaching him how to pick weeds or something like that. Ed and Al are starting to pack for tomorrow. And the kid and Sloth are upstairs in his study room. Can't you hear him? He's playing the piano."

She paused in rustling the papers, tilting her ear towards the door and listening.

He was right: It was faint, barely audible, and yet she could just make out the sound of music drifting down the nearby staircase.

Had Pride ever played an instrument before? She couldn't remember, couldn't recall a time when he'd ever told them about his child act under the Bradleys' care. His reports had focused solely on whatever information was important to their plans; if he'd been forced to learn an instrument in his classes, she didn't know about it. And shouldn't he think that music was just a frivolous human pastime, like dancing and singing and painting and practically every other form of human entertainment?

"Is he any good at it?" she asked curiously.

Greed shrugged. "I'm sure I've heard better, but for his age? Sounds alright to me."

"Wait. You said Sloth was with him?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"You're asking me to read that big galoot's mind?" Greed chuckled. "How'm I supposed to know? Maybe he's a music lover!"

_Or maybe he's just confused by it, _Lust thought. _I doubt Sloth has even _heard _music before._

Ignoring Greed, she finished with her work and then headed for the garden to round up Gluttony.

She hadn't thought of it during their argument, but before Envy had shown up, she'd been feeling a little irked. The reason came to her that she wasn't happy that Gluttony was taking such a shining to Lily. The floor at her side had felt quite empty without him sitting there beside her.

She wouldn't admit to missing him any more than she would admit to missing Envy if he were gone. And being jealous over having competition for Gluttony's adoration was not _her _sin.

He just got distracted whenever food was involved. That was all.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Lust's opinion of men_: As far as we know, Lust's largest role was manipulating men to divulge secrets and take actions that would result in bloodshed. I think it would be quite reasonable for her to think less of men, especially since she spent most of her time wrapping them around her fingers. Of course, she probably has a low opinion of women too, but for different reasons.


	14. Father

Number of words: 4,532

Published date: November 4, 2012

Began chapter: October 28, 2012

Finished chapter: November 4, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 14: Father**

"Geez, what's in this? It's heavy."

"Just some books."

"Books? You brought _books _with you?! What the hell! There are a gazillion books here already! Why'd you need to bring more?"

"Selim doesn't have these volumes and we needed them for reference for the transmutation. Do you mean we should have guessed on whatever we couldn't check? I'll tell you right now, alchemy doesn't favour guessing."

"Uh, well, no… But seriously? You needed _all_ of these? There must be twenty books in here!"

"There's also my personal ones. We arrived almost two weeks before the lunar eclipse, so I needed to have something to read. I've been working on material for a new lecture and I couldn't work on that without having them to refer to."

"Ugh, remind me again why I'm going to miss someone so lame. _Reading_? Nerdy book-lovers can't also be good fighters; it goes against the natural order! You're a freak of nature, you know that?"

"'Nerdy'? So you're saying that if a person likes to read, they're automatically uncool?"

"Yup."

"Oh, come on! You mean to tell me you've never read for leisure before?"

"Listen: Cool people have way too many cool things to do than to be wasting their time on books. I'm just sayin'."

Ed didn't want to waste his breath arguing, so he shrugged his shoulders as best he could with one end of the heavy box of books filling his arms while Greed struggled with the other end. The pair of them lugged the box down the front steps of the mansion and heaved it into the back of the Elrics' car. The vehicle gave a squeak and bounce of protest at the sudden weight.

No doubt about it: Even though he'd needed them all, at that moment, even Ed wished he hadn't brought so many with him. They were _heavy_.

The sun was just reaching its zenith as the three men packed the car for the return trip to Resembool. It was a gorgeously hot and sunny summer day.

Ed paused, lifting his arms up to stretch from the heavy load and tilting his head to look up at the sky. Greed rested against the bumper, groaning out a rhetorical complaint over why he'd let himself be wrangled into helping. Ed didn't bother to point out that Greed had in fact offered to help without any prompting.

It was the sixth day.

Six days had already passed since the Homunculi's revival.

Ed wondered again if it was all right for them to be leaving.

As far as the brothers were concerned, the six days had passed without incident. None of the Homunculi had shown any worrisome symptoms that suggested the transmutation had gone wrong. Selim reported that he thought _'maybe my Stone feels a little bit different. But that's just maybe. I can't really tell. It might just be my imagination.' _Nobody had attacked anyone else (as long as one discounted Envy and Greed's squabble on the first night). Nobody had threatened anyone (again, so long as one didn't count the insulting threats Greed and Envy threw at each other – but it was easy to tell that they only meant them in the heat of the moment; they weren't really planning to murder each other). Nobody had been killed in their sleep or run away or destroyed things. All in all, they were adjusting quickly and positively to their new environment.

_Of course_, Ed thought soberly, _I'm sure Lust and Envy are just waiting for us to leave so that they can question Selim in the hopes that this is all a trick of some kind. _Their waiting for the Elrics' departure was palpable, especially in Lust, who gave them nothing but a cold shoulder and frostily clipped words when required to speak to them. Doubtless she wanted them gone as quickly as possible and was acting particularly aloof in the hope that it would make them leave all the sooner.

_I'd feel a lot better about leaving if I knew they'd accepted this, but they can't accept it until we leave. _It was a frustrating situation, but there was nothing Ed could do about it. The Homunculi had no reason to trust them. The Elrics had been involved, but they were still just outsiders and meddlers in Lust and Envy's eyes. _The responsibility falls on Selim now to handle his family and convince them that this isn't meant to be a punishment or something that they have to suffer through._

The important thing was that Selim _wasn't_ tricking them and that Ms. Bradley was safe. Ed was convinced that Selim had been honest with them, and he was dead certain that their young apprentice would never allow harm to befall his mother. Therefore, there was no reason for them to stick around any longer.

Besides, he had his own family to get back to. Three weeks was pushing the limit on Winry's patience, and he didn't want to be away from his family any longer either.

"Are we taking a break already?" Al asked with a chuckle.

Ed grimaced at his brother. "Speak for yourself. You only took the light stuff," he said. He moved over to let Alphonse dump his own burden into the trunk. Al tucked the two small suitcases containing no more than a few changes of clothes and his bedroll snugly against the box of books.

Except for the books, the Elric brothers were light travelers, which wasn't surprising considering their younger years of roughing it across Amestris and their older years of visiting the neighbouring countries. Having spent almost half of the past six years in the East, where beds were rare and sleeping on the floor was the norm, Al almost found that sleeping on the bedroll was more comfortable to him now than sleeping in a bed. He had bunked down in a corner of Selim's study room. Edward, regardless of whether anyone was still in the room or not, had claimed the living room couch, where he'd stretched out without concern for blankets or pillows. Twice, Al had slipped in late at night to drape a blanket over his brother's exposed stomach, tsking under his breath over how Ed was going to catch a cold. (Even after six years, the younger Elric still suffered from occasional insomnia, never having managed to fully re-establish the circadian rhythm he'd lost while in the armour.) And Greed had gotten up one morning to gleefully find Ed lying on the carpet with a stain of drool around his mouth from rolling off the couch and onto the floor in his sleep.

In some ways, the boys had become men. In others, they hadn't changed at all.

"Is there anything else?" Ed asked.

Al shook his head. "I grabbed everything that was left. Selim?" he called. "Would you mind doing us a favour?"

Selim immediately jumped up from his play in the driveway, dropping the stick he'd been using to trace transmutation arrays in the dirt. None of the arrays had been activated, so he'd either been rehearsing earlier lessons or doodling. He ran up to the three men eagerly.

"What is it, Teacher? Do you want me to tell Mother that you'll stay for lunch after all? Do you want us to pack you something to eat on the trip?"

"No, that's all right, Selim," Al said, smiling in that gentle way of his and holding up his hands to stop the little boy's words. "I think we've got everything, but I'd like it if you could take a quick look around the house, just to see if you can find anything that we forgot or misplaced. Okay?"

"'Kay!" And with that, he darted off into the mansion.

His response relieved Ed and Al, for Selim's mood had been fluctuating all that morning. When they'd sat down at breakfast, he had seemed sad that they were leaving, poking at his food listlessly. It was only after Edward took him to the study room to give him his homework for their next visit that he'd brightened considerably.

* * *

"All right, this should be enough," Ed declared as he set the last of his selection on top of the stack of textbooks. "Go over the exercises from chapters 4 to 6 of _Quintessence_, pages 342 to 412 of Charnock, and the metal sections of Waite. I want you to be able to explain how to identify each metal when pure, in what situations a post-transition metal is more appropriate to use than a transition metal, why fixation is often combined with the fire triangle instead of the earth square, and what would happen if a post-transition metal transmutation was attempted with a triad – rather than tetrad – grid. That should lead nicely into the next subject."

He paused to give Selim a chance to finish making notes.

"What's the next subject, Big Brother?"

"Metalloids," Ed replied. "And if you finish that list, you can continue on in _Quintessence_ and Charnock and get a head start on it. But I doubt that'll happen; we'll be back to check on things in two or three weeks. This should be plenty until then. You know the drill: Write down any questions you have or parts that need further explanation. If you get really stuck, you can call us."

Nodding in understanding, Selim finished making his notes and placed the checklist on the table, then cheerfully followed Ed out of the room.

Ed discreetly studied his young pupil as they walked. He barely noticed the distinct red dot in the middle of Selim's forehead, didn't think anything of the discrepancies between Selim's physical age and mental acuity. He spent a moment musing over how, though there were certainly differences, Selim was in a similar position to what the Elrics had been in. Most of the people they had met believed Ed had lost his limbs in an accident and that Al was an eccentric armour enthusiast. Only a trusted few friends had known their secret past: that the Elrics had committed a taboo and paid the price with their bodies and that Al had existed only as a bodiless soul.

In the same way, Selim's past was known to few and the rest of the world took him as just another child with a strange birthmark who had tragically lost his parents and now lived with his elderly aunt. For that was the story Ms. Bradley told: Her younger sister and brother-in-law had died in an accident and, with no other relatives to care for him, Ms. Bradley had taken her nephew to raise as her own.

Bearing their secret had been hard on the Elrics. It wasn't easy to lie to people, especially when they'd helped them. Ed had believed at the time that the more people who knew their secret, the harder it would be, but in fact, the opposite had been true. The more friends the Elrics found, the more people they trusted, the easier it was to bear their burden. Even though they had committed the taboo and, in a way, deserved what they'd got, everyone had supported them and hoped for their success.

Selim hadn't phrased his arguments in that way, probably hadn't recognized the desire to have people around him who knew his secret, but there it was.

There was also the peculiar protectiveness that came from their teacher-apprentice relationship. Edward hadn't seen his own teacher in a long time, not since she and Sig had left for Xing. Izumi Curtis hadn't replaced their mother, hadn't tried to replace her, and yet she had treated them like her own children. At times disappointed and disgusted by their stupidity, at other times proud and willing to let them stand on their own, uncompromising and compassionate, Mrs. Curtis was a force that the brothers both feared more than anything else in the world and yet trusted implicitly.

The dichotomy had been hard for his teenaged self to understand, but now that he held the same responsibility that Izumi had held over him, Ed found the same protective desire to see Selim succeed. His position was reversed. Now Ed was one of the supporters, hoping that his student could find happiness with his family and wanting to do what he could to make that desire come true.

Abruptly, he stopped walking. Selim continued for two more steps before turning to look up at his teacher in confusion.

"Selim, are you still sure about this?"

Selim tilted his head to the side.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "That we shouldn't have brought them back? Big Brother, it's too late to be worrying about that now."

"No," Ed responded, shaking his head. "I don't mean that. I mean, you thought you missed your family, but… I'm just not sure you understand how much work it will take. Having a family is hard sometimes. There's a give and take to it. You've got to experience things together and there isn't an instant bond. It's not as simple as saying that you have them back and you'll live together happily from now on. It doesn't work that way."

The old sin that Selim had spent so much effort subduing manifested in the boy's suddenly rigid back, in the way his brows lowered and voice became cold as he responded, "I am aware of that, Big Brother. Please do not treat me like a child."

"I didn't mean to be insulting. I just want to make sure you know that getting what you want doesn't necessarily translate into instant happiness."

"I know that," Selim replied scornfully, then grinned at the retort that occurred to him. "I'm not like Greed."

Ed considered that and had to admit that the description fit. The whole problem with greed was that a person went from wanting something to getting it to being disappointed that it didn't make them as happy as they thought it would, and so they had to move on to something else and the vicious cycle never ended. Happiness wasn't a treasure to be discovered; it was an internal thing that had to be worked for and consciously cultivated. It took most people a long, bitter struggle to realize that truth. Ed sincerely hoped that Greed knew this, or at least that he would learn it sooner rather than later.

"Please don't worry about us," Selim continued in a tone that suggested he was trying to reassure Edward rather than the other way around. "I didn't just learn alchemy from you. You want to make sure I know that while they're unhappy, I can't be happy too, right?"

Ed stared at his little protégé for a moment, then grinned and ruffled his hair, eliciting an indignant protest.

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry, Selim. You've learned more about humanity than I realized," Ed said indulgently. "That was a blunt way of putting it, but yeah. I'm glad to hear that you understand."

His mentor's approval sent a smile across Selim's face. Maybe Ed's reservations about leaving had been affecting him too. Selim perked up and his listlessness vanished into cheerful but impatient anticipation.

* * *

The three men watched Selim dart off into the mansion to complete Alphonse's request, but even though Ed and Al were relieved to see Selim acting cheerful, Greed sighed from his seat on the car's bumper.

"You do know this is gonna' suck for me, right?" he asked grumpily.

"Huh?" Ed glanced down at his friend, lifting an eyebrow quizzically. Greed met the glance and shrugged, holding his palm up on his knee as he explained.

"Once you two leave, I'll be the odd one out. I don't care what Pride- Selim- Oh, whoever," he grumbled. "I don't care what the kid says, but in case you've forgotten, I _ditched _the Homunculi. We're not a particularly forgiving bunch, if you didn't notice. And who have I got to hang out with here? Envy hates my guts. Sloth is more boring than a rock. I don't think I've ever dealt with kids before and I don't want to either, and I'm pretty sure that if I try anything with Lust, she'll hand me my ass on a silver platter. The Missus is the only pleasant one here. And all you've offered me is training the brat? It's not going to be nearly enough."

For Greed the Avaricious, no, it wasn't _nearly _enough.

Yes, Ed knew it was far from ideal, but he couldn't very well tell Greed, _Sure, do whatever you want. Take off. There's no reason for you to hang around here. Send a postcard every once in a while. _He opened his mouth, prepared to explain that they needed him to stick around because how could they be sure the transmutation would remain stable? and the whole point of bringing them back was to give them the chance to experience humanity and maybe having a real family and not just the perverted parody that their father had created would be the thing to satisfy his greed, and if he went out into the world and did whatever the hell he wanted, he could be recognized by any of the small number of people who knew him, Mustang or Hawkeye or the Briggs soldiers, and then how would he feel if he brought his siblings' new world crashing down on them?

He opened his mouth, logic at the ready, but it was Alphonse who answered first.

"Two months," he said, hands pressing together in the familiar Xingese gesture of supplication. "Just give me two months and I'll figure out some way to get you to Xing. I promise. And if two months go by and I haven't come up with anything, then you can feel free to try whatever you want on your own."

Greed rubbed his chin thoughtfully, but he didn't look entirely convinced. His eyes slid back to study the mansion and Ed, grinning suddenly, leaned over to follow his gaze and spoke teasingly.

"Yeah, sure, I can see how it'd be hard for anyone to stay here for two months. No chores, no job, no need to cook if you don't want to, the freedom to spend the days wandering in the woods, a beautiful garden in the backyard, plenty of books to read on every subject imaginable, a huge and expensive mansion to lounge around in… It sounds like absolute _torture_!"

Greed got the point and chuckled along with Ed.

"Okay, okay, I get it. It's a regular vacation here. Fine. I guess I can manage for two measly months."

"Promise?" Ed asked.

"Eh?"

"You said it's your personal rule to never tell a lie, right? So I want to hear you promise that you'll stay here and not take off."

"Hey! Just 'cause I died doesn't let you off the hook of being my henchman! You don't get to boss me around!"

"Say you promise?"

Greed grimaced at the young man, but acquiesced at the stubborn glimmer in Ed's eyes.

"Alright already! I promise I'll stay put. Geez, and I'll look after Ms. Bradley and train Selim too! There, happy now? Do you want more from me?" He laughed at the joke and gave Ed a cocky grin.

Ed returned it, satisfied. Greed could be trusted one hundred percent. There was nothing to be worried about in leaving them.

* * *

Selim returned to the front yard a few minutes later. He hadn't found any stray items belonging to the Elrics, but, sensing that they were now ready to leave, he had gathered Mother and Gluttony from the kitchen, Sloth from the garden bench, Lust from a book in the living room, and Envy from hiding surlily in his bedroom, probably hoping to avoid seeing them off. Since the last evening, he seemed to be avoiding Big Brother, though Selim couldn't imagine the reason behind it.

Ms. Bradley's upbringing in society meant she was always polite, but she took it even further than usual, clasping both brothers' hands and speaking with the utmost gravity.

"Edward, Alphonse, there's no way I can thank you enough for everything you've done for us. You've looked after both of us and to help Selim with this is more than anyone could ask for or expect."

Edward started to blush. "It's all right, Madam Bradley. You don't need to thank us like this. I mean, it's half my fault anyway and-" His face only grew redder when Greed began to silently laugh at him from the steps.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to embarrass you. I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you two have done."

Alphonse took the thanks in stride and responded in kind.

"It's been our pleasure, Ma'am. You're always such a gracious host. Thank you for allowing us to stay here."

Ed scowled slightly at how natural Al sounded. It was a good thing he'd never been to Xing; he just sucked at polite talk. It made him feel like a dolt. Behind Ms. Bradley's back, he could see that Greed was now almost doubled over. In an odd bonding moment, Envy had moved from the doorway and was pretending to throw up in the bushes, leaving his older brother in stitches. Gruffly, he butted in to end the show before the pair of Sins ended up offending the poor old woman.

"You know that you can call us any time if there's a problem," he said, trying to send a warning look over her head at Envy in particular. Envy, straightening from the bushes, caught his glance and gave a small, unconscious twitch. Clearly he heard the message underneath: _If you screw with her and I hear about it, you're not getting away with it._

"Work hard while we're gone, Selim, and don't forget about training," Al reminded pleasantly. "We're planning on coming back in two or three weeks, but of course we'll call beforehand to make plans, Ma'am."

"You're welcome anytime, dears," she responded warmly.

Alphonse accepted her hug without hesitation, and Ed did the same with only a little less grace. Then, for a moment, the two brothers stood and looked at the Homunculi.

Sloth stood off to the side, watching the proceedings with disinterest. Or maybe the fact that he was bothering to watch meant he actually _was _interested. Who knew? Ed certainly couldn't tell. Gluttony looked a little sad that they were leaving, which only proved that he was kind despite his cannibalism of before. Lust stood tall and cold on the landing and both brothers felt a bit of relief that they'd be escaping from her intimidating presence. Ed would have expected her to be _less _intimidating without her powers and with six years putting them on a level playing field as adults. Instead, they probably would have fared better as their teenaged selves, for it was impossible to remain completely unaffected by Lust as her namesake's representative. There was no denying that she was a beautiful woman and her manner of carrying herself effortlessly produced dry mouths, quickening heartbeats, and stuttering voices. Ed sent a brief mental warning in Greed's direction: _You're right, Greed. Try anything with her and she'll spit you out and trample you like a bug. _Hopefully his friend was smart enough to let self-preservation win over desire. Envy stood and stared back with bitter eyes and Ed felt definite regret that he'd be leaving the former shape-shifter on such bad terms. He really hadn't wanted Envy to hate him, really had felt pity for the Sin and hoped that Envy would take his words to heart, but his rough-handling wouldn't soon be forgotten.

The most of a good-bye they got from the new members of the Bradley household was a lazy wave from Greed.

Edward and Alphonse slipped into the car. Ed started the engine and, with the sound of tires on the dirt path and Selim shouting "Bye, Big Brother! Bye, Teacher!" they began the long drive back to Resembool.

Almost as soon as the vehicle melted into the shadows of the thick trees, Envy turned to Selim.

"You know, it's been bugging me for a while now, but why do you insist on calling them that?"

"What?"

"'Big Brother' and 'Teacher'. I get the teacher bit, but _big brother_? He's not your brother, and even if he was, you're older than him."

Selim nodded absently, half of his attention still on the sound of the Elrics' car as it made its way down the path to the main road.

"I suppose that's true," he allowed. "Maybe it'd be more accurate to call him 'Uncle'. Or maybe 'Cousin'." The little boy frowned, suddenly confused by the logic, then enthusiastically grabbed Envy's wrist and began dragging him into the house. "Come on! I need to get some paper to figure it out!"

Envy protested but didn't dare strike his eldest brother to make him let go. Curious, Lust and Greed shrugged and trailed after them.

* * *

In the library, Selim quickly pulled a blank sheet of paper and pencil from the desk drawer and, with his head bent over it, scribbled away. It was only when he finished and stood straight that his siblings could see what he'd drawn.

It was less a drawing and more a diagram. Although none of the Homunculi had seen a family tree before, with Selim pointing to the different bubbles and reciting the names, it wasn't hard to figure out.

"Van Hohenheim was the Elrics' father. Here's Hohenheim and these lines to the Elrics show that they're his sons. Now, here's Father. Father came into the world through Hohenheim's blood."

They all nodded, knowing the basic story of their father's birth. The ancient Xerxians had hoped to exploit their father's knowledge of Truth, had threatened his vulnerable existence and selfishly demanded the key to immortality while offering nothing in return. Obligingly, he had given them what they'd asked for, though not in the form they had wanted. Souls pulled from bodies, the Xerxians had been turned into a Philosopher's Stone and spent the next four hundred years living on as energy in the Homunculi.

"Well then, so Father and Hohenheim were related. Which means _we're _related to the Elrics too! See? If you consider Father to be Hohenheim's brother, then Hohenheim was our uncle and Ed and Al are our cousins. And if you consider Father to be Hohenheim's son, then he was our grandfather and the Elrics are our uncles."

Selim looked up, pleased with his explanation, but his three siblings remained silent, staring at the page.

"But it'd feel kind of weird to call them uncles when they're younger than us, don't you think? So I like 'brother' more. And even if Ed is technically younger than me, he looks physically older, so it'd be weird to call him 'Little Brother'. So 'Big Brother' works best."

Still, none of them responded immediately.

It was only after Greed picked up the paper and studied it that he gave his opinion on the matter, neatly summing up how Envy and Lust felt as well:

"That's #!$&ing messed up!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

___Al covering Ed's stomach_: It is a Japanese old-wives' tale that sleeping with the stomach exposed causes colds. Well, don't take that as fact, as I only remember reading that in a manga once. I could be wrong; that's just how I remember it. But Al does that in canon once.

_Waite_: An American alchemist and occultist, Arthur Edward Waite wrote and translated many texts on alchemy and was also the co-creator of the Rider-Waites Tarot deck.

_Alchemy and science_: If anyone reading is actually a chemist or scientist, please let me know if I've made up an alchemy-science reference that really doesn't work, or feel free to suggest ways to make it more accurate. I haven't taken, nor do I have any love for, the sciences, so I'm just faking it, but I would hate to write something that is blatantly ignorant.

_Ed and Al's nicknames_: It is common in Japanese culture for family members to be referred to by their relation rather than by name. It is not so common in English cultures for us to call our brother "Brother" the way that Al does with Ed, but "Big Brother" is commonly used by the younger brother to show respect for the older brother in Japanese. The dubbed version of FMA also retains the Elrics' habit of calling Izumi "Teacher", which isn't common in English. I wanted to retain those tendencies from the original Japanese version and I believe that Selim is in the position to call both of them by these nicknames. I'm explaining this because it may feel slightly odd if considered only from an English viewpoint.


	15. Revelation

Number of words: 3,895

Published date: November 18, 2012

Began chapter: November 8, 2012

Finished chapter: November 17, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 15: Revelation**

It wasn't an hour after the Elrics left when Lust approached her eldest brother with a sharp and determined look in her eyes.

"Where is Greed?" she asked without preamble.

Selim looked up from the number puzzle he'd been working on at the dining room table, clipped from the daily newspaper. The puzzle, newly introduced to Amestris, was called a Xingese Square, but Alphonse claimed that was a misnomer; the puzzle actually originated from one of the countries beyond Xing and was literally called _Nine Nines_. By the time Al got in contact with the newspapers to correct the error, the name of _Xingese Square _had already stuck in the public's mind. Much to Al's dismay. With the two countries only just establishing relations, as far as the Amestrians were concerned, _everything_ from the East was Xingese.

"He said he was going for a walk…" Selim replied uncertainly. "Why?"

"Where is Madam Bradley?" Lust demanded, ignoring his question.

"Mother is reading in the garden. Why, Lust? What's wrong?"

"Come with me," she said. "We need to talk."

Selim hesitated for a moment, staring up into his sister's face, hoping for some glimmer of what she wanted to talk about, but her expression was hard and inscrutable. He felt a faint apprehension in his stomach, the childish fear that he was in trouble somehow, but the feeling was quickly squashed by indignation at her tone of voice. Lust was no fool, but to be using such a tone with him…

_Making demands of me! Lust forgets her place, _a cold voice inside him whispered. _I need to remind her which one of us is the First- No! Lust is my sister. I'm not supposed to punish her just for being disrespectful... But she really should know better…_

Those and similar were the thoughts that went through his head as he followed his big sister down the hallway, and if Lust had realized that she'd stirred Pride from his slumber, she might have changed her mind and told him that it could wait for another time.

Their destination was her bedroom, which was a surprise only because Lust normally guarded her privacy. She had allowed her siblings into her room only on the rarest of occasions. Of course, a closed door was nothing to his shadows and he'd never respected her part-request, part-demand for privacy in his past life, but once he'd assured himself that she wasn't hiding anything from him or Father, spying on her alone time turned out to be boring and a waste of energy. He had figured it to be a sign of weakness: Pride could endure being among humans for however long was necessary, but maybe Lust didn't have his stamina and needed time alone to recover. Heaven knew it must be hard to pretend to just tolerate (never mind care about!) the men who threw themselves at her feet, but it was still pathetic in his eyes all the same.

Selim stepped over the threshold and looked around, though he knew what to expect, having prepared the room together with Mother the day before she left for Mr. Garfiel's. It was already midday, so the sun didn't shine directly into the room, but there was still plenty of light to illuminate the rose-patterned rug and the mahogany desk and the dark-red duvet-covered bed and the plush armchair. He ignored the objects, noticing instantly that he was not the only person present.

Gluttony looked up from his seat on Lust's bed, still looking weird and somewhat uncomfortable in the regular clothing Alphonse had made for him the previous day. Dressed in a large, tent-like brown shirt and roomy blue pants held up by suspenders, Gluttony's size meant he'd still stand out in a crowd, but at least he looked more normal now than in the black bodysuit.

Envy was standing at the window with his back to them. He turned around at the click of the door closing and his expression, like Lust's, was tight and unreadable. Lust slipped around Selim and sank into the armchair and the pair of them stared at him as if waiting for something.

Selim returned their looks imperiously. Impudent children! They were both forgetting their place!

"Well? What is it we have to talk about that you had to drag me here?" he asked coolly. "I've got other things to do today."

"What!?" Envy blurted, taking an angry step forward. "How can you-"

Lust held up her hand and glared at him warningly. _Restrain yourself_, Selim read in her look. Glowering, Envy bit his tongue and calmed himself, though not without obvious effort.

"Pride, the Elric brothers are gone. Greed isn't here to betray us again. Ms. Bradley is out of the way. We are finally alone and there is no risk of eavesdropping. Tell us the truth: What is going on?"

"'What's… going on?'" Selim repeated slowly. "Lust, I don't understand. What do you mean? I explained everything the other day. Is there something you didn't understand about the alchemy, or do you mean something else?"

"Stop playing dumb, Pride!" Envy growled angrily. "There's no reason to keep pretending to be a stupid kid here! What's the plan?"

_The… plan? _He stared blankly at his brother and sister. _What in the world are they talking about? What plan?_

Envy's fists were clenched and he was leaning forward with a hopeful, almost desperate, look in his eyes. Lust was watching him with carefully schooled features, but she was anxious and he could see it despite her trying to hide it. Her hands were tight on the chair arms and she was holding herself with unusual rigidity, especially noticeable when compared to her normally languid posture.

They were waiting for him to say… what? What did they want from him? What plan were they talking about? What did Envy mean, that he should 'stop playing dumb'?

Unless…

Selim almost gasped and stared back at his brother and sister with wide eyes.

"Come on, Pride! Spit it out! There's got to be one! What's the plan?" Envy repeated. He looked angry, but no: That was a cover, one of his masks. There was fear underneath. There was a note of pleading in his voice. Lust's expression was already changing, horror creeping over her features as she saw the dawning realization on Selim's face, as she understood what Envy was desperate not to see.

"You… You thought I was lying," Selim murmured, looking down to avoid their eyes.

He hadn't realized… It hadn't occurred to him that they might think… This was awful. It was a disaster! They'd been clinging to the hope that it was all a trick, and now he had to dash their hopes, tell them that all of it was true, that he'd been completely honest about everything…

"Of course you're lying! Pride, you _have _to be lying to them! There's no way you'd settle for being human! You're learning alchemy so that we can start over! That nice human kiddie crap is just an act! Right?"

He was practically babbling, gesturing with the passion of his hope, wilfully ignoring the way Selim flinched at his words.

"Envy…" Lust tried, but he ignored her too.

"You _must_ have a plan. Making Stones isn't that difficult. We'll get rid of your 'mother', round up some worthless humans, make some new Stones, and get our powers back. You must know where the next eclipse will happen. We'll go there, carve a new circle… Even if we can't get God's power this time, surely with a large enough Stone, we can figure out some way to bring Father back… I'm right, aren't I? Come on, Pride! Say something!"

In an instant, grief was replaced by cold fury.

"We'll 'get rid of Mother'?" the little boy hissed. "And just what do you mean by 'get rid of', Envy?" He took a step toward his younger brother.

Envy had been able to ignore Selim's prior behaviour, but now there was no ignoring the murderous glint in the child's deep purple eyes. He backed up and held his hands out defensively.

"I- I didn't mean-"

"You didn't mean _what_?"

"Sh- She's just a human, Pride!"

"'_Just _a human'? Do you still not understand that you are also_ '_just a human' now, Envy?"

Lust stood up and started to move between them.

"Pride, enough! It's unseemly, fighting like this-"

The pair didn't even hear her.

"But Pride! You can't really… You're not going to make us stay like this! You can't! You've _got_ to have something figured out!"

Pride filled Selim with contempt, drawing his words out in an unforgiving rebuke.

"Are you really that stupid? You don't understand anything, Envy. There is no plan! I already told you everything and it was the truth. _All _of the truth. I'm happy here with Mother. I have no intention of risking my life trying to fulfill Father's goal. It took me forever to convince Big Brother and Teacher to bring you back and you want to immediately go out and create more Stones? Are you so jealous of humans that destroying them is still all you can think about?"

Envy's jaw tightened furiously, but Lust spoke before he could say something that would put him in even hotter water.

"Stop this! Pride, it wasn't Envy's idea that you might be lying; it was mine. You cannot be surprised that we didn't believe you. You claim that it's only been six years, and yet you want us to believe that you've forgotten all about Father's plan when you were the most loyal? You want us to believe that you're happy living among humans when you considered them so far beneath you? You cannot blame us for thinking that you were deceiving them. You _were _the master of deception."

The logic and praise of her words helped to calm the tension in the air. Selim turned his attention to his sister, dismissing Envy, who was still trembling at his brother's accusation and cringing at the possibility that Pride knew _all _the details of his death.

Selim considered and realized that, yes, he should have expected this.

"I suppose you're right, Lust," he allowed. "I could have been tricking everyone. Extremely difficult – especially with the Elric brothers – but not impossible. Fortunately, that is not the case."

"'Fortunately'?" she repeated cautiously.

"I thought I explained it adequately the other day. Even if I _was _tricking them, there's little I can do. The circle is broken. There are enough officers in the military to prevent me from moving freely. If my Stone regained its power, Teacher would know it immediately through his alkahestry. If I created another Stone, the repercussion would be death, plain and simple. As a lone child, it's hopeless for me to try anything. In that case, isn't it better to not _want_ to try?"

_Hopeless…_ Lust silently repeated. Her older brother didn't seem saddened by his admission, or apologetic, or frustrated. He simply stood, looking at her with a steady and composed gaze. _This is the way it is_, he seemed to be saying. _We lost. You know as well as I do that there is no point in denying it or fighting it. It is human nature to struggle and fight even when there is no hope, but that is not _our _way. I am not such a fool as to choose what is impossible._

But she couldn't accept it that easily.

"How do you know there isn't some way you haven't thought of?" she challenged.

Selim's eyebrows shot up, then lowered contemptuously.

"What are you suggesting, Lust? That I've missed something? I would rather you not insult me like that. Don't you think that if there was some way to recover my powers, I would have thought of it? Don't be so impertinent."

"I will be as impertinent as is necessary," Lust replied frostily, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "I would never accuse the old Pride of overlooking something, but you are clearly not of the same mind anymore. You said yourself that you are both Homunculus and human; you never would have said something like that before, which only proves that you've changed. The way you've been talking, it sounds less like you _couldn't _think of anything and more like you never even bothered trying."

The accusation was so grave that Selim couldn't think of a response. His pride took a dip, leaving him stunned and silent.

Lust, sensing that she now had the upper hand, continued her attack.

"So there is no plan. You are claiming to be a human child now. You say you are perfectly content with this new life. Very well. _Then_ _why are we here?_"

Her little brother bit his lip, looking troubled. His gaze turned from Lust's steely eyes to Envy, who was watching their sister with mild admiration for her bravery in confronting their monster of a brother and anxious curiosity over Lust's next words and Pride's response. From the corner of his eye, Selim could see Gluttony fidgeting on the bed, obviously disliking the unpleasantness of the whole situation but relieved to so far remain uninvolved.

"You are deceiving yourself, Pride. Perhaps you cannot admit that your mind has lost its edge. As you said: Impossible for a lone child to accomplish anything. And after what you have suffered from your Stone's depletion, you can hardly be blamed for giving up. But now that we are here, there is no need for any of us to settle on being human. Isn't that the real reason why you called us back? You couldn't come up with a plan on your own. You needed our help, and now we can return to Father's original goal and-"

"No," Selim said.

She frowned down at him, purple eyes narrowing at his firm tone.

"If you're worried that it will be dangerous, then I agree that there will be risks. But I am sure I can think of some way to recreate our Stones without being discovered by-"

"I said no, Lust. We're not creating any more Stones."

Her lips compressed into a tight, thin line, but it was Envy who spoke next.

"Why the hell not?!" he demanded fiercely. "You're not going to start talking like a damn human again, are you? With all that garbage about the worms being valuable? You _know _they're just going to die anyway, Pride! Why else would you bring us back except to get revenge?"

"I already told you why!" Selim cried in frustration. "It wasn't because of revenge or needing help or wanting to regain my powers! I missed you! That's the only reason!"

It was almost painful to see how easily that shut them up.

Envy's mouth hung open, speechless at the very thought that Pride was claiming to care about them. Lust gave a small shake of her head, studying him with a piercing look that now saw more than just her respected older brother.

Selim could see her struggling with the idea that, despite having known each other for almost three centuries, Lust didn't know him at all. Pride had been careful to ensure that he was seen as the strongest and smartest Homunculus. He had wanted to be the highest of his siblings and had carefully nurtured his image of being ruthless, cruel, and utterly dispassionate. The very suggestion that he had a weak side would have seemed preposterous in the past, and yet now he could see Lust calculating and considering just how much of Pride had been a play at self-aggrandizement to shore up his arrogance when there was really an uncertain, vulnerable child hiding underneath.

_I missed Lust, _Selim thought wistfully, _but I wish she weren't always so perceptive!_

It was important to get the idea of the Stones out of their heads and yet appealing to what he had learned about humanity in the past six years would be a wasted effort. Only experience, not words, could convince Envy and Lust that human lives were valuable and that taking lives was wrong. So what approach would work best to persuade them to abandon their scheming…? Appeal to their vulnerability through their connection to his Stone? Exaggerate the Elrics' and the military's watchful eyes? Explain that even with more Stones, there was no guarantee that he could 'reconnect' their souls and get their powers back? Or should he simply exert his authority as the oldest and hope that he still held enough power to force their obedience…?

"… You're lying."

Selim looked up. Envy had gotten over being dumbstruck, but his reaction was far from what Selim would have expected.

He was upset, only it wasn't his ordinary overly-emotional version of upset. His shoulders were hunched, his fists clenched. He avoided looking at Selim as he spoke, instead glowering at the floor, but his words were measured and quiet.

"You're lying, Pride," he repeated softly. "Maybe you missed _some_ of us, but you couldn't have missed _all _of us."

"What are you talking about?" Selim asked blankly.

Envy's frown grew deeper and, for once in his life, he seemed reluctant to speak. But, after a moment, he looked up and met Selim's eyes and explained in a resentful tone, "Edward told me all about it last night, Pride, so you don't have to pretend anymore."

"Pretend _what_? I don't know what you're talking about, Envy."

"The array, Pride! Ed told me: The transmutation wouldn't have worked without all five of us! So stop acting like you missed me! Admit it: If you don't have a plan then you didn't need me except to make five and you couldn't care less if I'm here or not!"

Selim blinked.

"Is that really what Big Brother said to you…?"

"Why would I lie about something like that? He said the only reason I'm here is because you needed five." This he said with a grimace.

Selim shook his head. "No, I don't mean you're lying, I'm just surprised he said it like that. Are you sure you didn't mishear? Because that's definitely not true. I never once said anything like that."

"Yeah right," Envy scoffed sourly.

_I- I don't believe it! I think he's… Yes, I'm sure of it!_

"Envy… Did Ed hurt your feelings?" Selim asked slowly, stepping forward and twisting his neck to look up into his jealous younger brother's face.

"What?! NO!"

"He did, didn't he?"

"Screw off! That's not it!" In desperation, Envy turned to his sister, but Lust merely gave him a light and mocking smile.

"Is _that_ what you were so upset about yesterday? And here I thought you were just being sentimental for no reason."

Quickly growing red in the face, Envy backed up and started for the door, but Selim grabbed his hand, putting on his best 'cute earnest child' face.

"Envy, whatever Big Brother said, I missed _all _of you. If he said something like that to threaten you, it's only because he wanted to make sure you don't try to cause any trouble." A brief pause while he put a hint of warning into his voice. "Like killing people to make new Stones."

"But without new Stones, we're stuck like this-"

"I don't care. I've survived without my powers for this long and you will do the same," Selim said emphatically. "Lust, you may be right: With my defeat, I might have lost some of my cunning – and that's hard for me to admit – but I do not want you to come up with a 'solution'. I don't want you to even think about it. There is no plan. There is to be no plan. If the military discovers that you're alive, they will come after us and kill us.

"Big Brother and Teacher made it clear that they will act to stop us if we try anything. But I want to give my own warning: I am on the humans' side. I will also stand against any scheming, so if you're going to try anything, you'll have to hide it from me too."

Lust did _not _look pleased by that news, and Envy tore his hand from Selim's grasp, snarling at him.

"Damn it all, Pride! Then even if you _did _miss us, you still don't care about us! You should have known that wasn't good enough! That we could never be happy as humans! You're being just as selfish as Greed's ever been! What are we supposed to do like this, huh?"

Selim crossed his arms and tried to look haughtily down his nose at them, though with the differences in height, it was a futile effort.

"That's right," he replied. "I was being selfish. I wanted you back. And thanks to my selfishness, you're alive again." Suddenly, he grinned. "If the price is listening to you complain about it, that seems like a pretty reasonable exchange to me!"

He sobered at the indignation on Envy's face.

"Please, give it a chance," he murmured gently. "You'll get used to it eventually, I promise.

"Now, I imagine we've covered everything you wanted to talk about…? In that case, I have my studies to get to, and Mother might become suspicious if we're hidden away for too long."

Selim turned and started to head for the door, then paused and looked back.

"Oh! I almost forgot something!"

He should have known that, after such a difficult conversation, they would be in no mood for it. Lust looked up with a troubled expression and Envy just looked sour. But maybe it was the fact that he'd been speaking so seriously, that he'd been in his Pride role for such a long stretch, that made him want to say it. He wanted to show them that he might be their eldest brother, but he was a child too.

Playfully, he wrinkled his nose at Envy.

"Envy, I don't want to be mean, but… You're starting to stink. Teacher made you new clothes for a reason. Mother can't wash what you're wearing unless you change into something else."

The slow change in his brother's expression was definitely fun to watch. For a few seconds, Envy seemed stunned, and then the insult sank in.

"I don't care who you are! Pride, I'm going to kill you!"

With a growled oath, he lunged for the boy. Selim laughed and stuck his tongue out before scampering from the room.

"It's Selim now!" he returned over his shoulder.

The sooner they recognized his other side, the better. If they got used to seeing him as a human, if they could stop treating him like a Homunculus, it would only help them get used to being human themselves all the faster.

Of course, he didn't want to completely lose his authority with them either. It would be a difficult balancing act, maintaining respect while still being seen as a child.

But it would be worth it.

No more need to be lonely. He had his family back who, like him, were not normal and with whom he didn't need to have any secrets. Here, finally, he had discovered the foolish human optimism that said everything would be all right from now on.

So long as his siblings behaved.

He couldn't believe in that foolish human optimism, but he wanted to.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Lust and the plan_: Someone pointed out to me that Lust, being so cunning, should be able to come up with a plan where Selim couldn't. My response is that characters can only be as smart as the people writing them! If anyone has any thoughts on how the Homunculi could pursue their old antics without risking their lives, speak up. Ideas on that front might help me with the plotline further on.

_Suggestions for plot_: Until the third phase of the story, the plot will be quite flexible in terms of chronology and events. If you have any ideas of human realities or events that you'd enjoy seeing the Homunculi experience, please feel free to suggest them. I'd like to say that I've got lots of ideas, but more couldn't hurt. If the idea works and is in-character and I can fit it in, I'll try to use it.


	16. The Untainted Child

Number of words: 6,929

Published date: November 26, 2012

Began chapter: November 18, 2012

Finished chapter: November 26, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Untainted Child**

The chase didn't last very long.

Despite the insult, it was hard for Envy to imagine beating on his eldest brother, powers or no powers, and his enthusiasm died considerably once he remembered that Pride's Stone was also his own connection to life. Threatening to kill someone whose death would kill him too didn't hold a whole lot of appeal.

And then there was the fact that, in the middle of chasing him, he noticed that Pride had been telling the truth.

Grumbling under his breath over yet _another _human inconvenience, Envy stomped (and with his new puny weight, even that wasn't very satisfying) to his bedroom to take a look at the clothing Alphonse had made for him.

"Geez, I never had to care about this stuff before," he muttered to himself, holding up what had to be the most boring shirt he'd ever seen. "I thought Greed said the tin head had good taste. This stuff is so _plain_! Even the pipsqueak was more creative!"

The shirt was unceremoniously crumpled into a ball and thrown across the room. It was promptly followed by two dreadful pairs of pants (far too constrictive for his tastes), some socks (he preferred going barefoot, thank you very much!), a few more shirts of varying colours and cuts and fabrics, and a brown vest (when exactly did they expect him to attend a formal event anyway? and in the summer at that!). _Is Alphonse trying to make me look lame on purpose?_

Before, changing clothes to do laundry had been unnecessary. His 'clothes' were as clean as his body because they _were _his body. And when one had such a superior form, there was no need to worry about cleaning it. Human bodies constantly broke down, shedding dead skin cells, excreting oils, and producing a wide variety of gross liquids and oozing mucus. True, the Homunculi's bodies hadn't been completely different from those of humans. They had needed to breathe, eat, drink, use the bathroom, even pick their noses from time to time. They differed because of their need to be connected to their Stone. As soon as a part of their body was separated from them, it disintegrated. Their clothing could get dusty or splattered with blood (Not _their_ blood, of course! That would disappear too.), but without those disgusting biological discharges like sweat clinging to the fabric, cleanliness was a Homunculus's natural state.

And now he _smelled_? It was like the world was conspiring to make this situation as unpleasant as possible.

_What's that saying? Something about only appreciating something once it's gone? Of all the ways we were superior to humans, it's pretty stupid to be missing something as simple as not stinking…_

His crumpling and chucking grew more violent at the irritating reminder of his lost Homunculus-hood, anger shifting to the innocent clothing.

_These better not to be all the choices! I spent too much time perfecting this look to spoil it with regular clothes. I'd rather go naked than wear- Hello! What's this?_

Hiding at the bottom of the pile, loudly speaking to Alphonse's hope that he would give the regular clothes a chance yet recognizing the improbability of it when considering Envy's preference for standing out, was a second change of his regular outfit.

Another new experience, simple though it may have been for anyone else, had been figuring out how to pull his clothes off manually in order to have a shower rather than just shape-shifting from one outfit to another. His top in particular gave him trouble; tight as it was, he got stuck with the thing halfway over his head and had to struggle several times before remembering the trick of keeping his arms stretched over his head to wriggle the thing off without ripping it.

_Damn humans and their damn clothes and their damn stinky bodies and ugh! Damn you, Pride, for doing this to me! Selfish little bastard! How can he honestly think we'll get used to this? I don't _want _to get used to this!_

Working himself into a pleasantly foul mood, Envy finished changing (but not in the way he was used to changing), gathered the dirty clothes in his arms, gave a near murderous glare at the regular human clothes now scattered around the room, and stalked off to find Pride's 'mother'.

* * *

_In late sun, the river and hills are beautiful,_

_The spring breeze bears the fragrance of flowers and grass._

_The mud has thawed, and swallows fly around,_

_On the warm sand, mandarin ducks are sleeping._

Ms. Bradley sighed at the lovely images. Pausing for a moment, she looked up to appreciate her own natural setting, noting how the mountains in the west could be considered the hills mentioned in the poem, how the breeze indeed carried the fragrance of flowers and grass, and how there were a few small birds flitting from tree to tree.

True to what Selim had told Lust before being dragged away for their 'talk', Ms. Bradley was sitting on the bench in the backyard, a small book open in her lap.

It wasn't like a regular book. The pages were thicker and of a material she couldn't identify. The spine was held together with rough cord. The letters on the cover were quite foreign; the boxes and lines and dots of Xingese were aesthetically pleasing but remained completely indecipherable to the old woman. Even so, the texture of the ink showed that the calligraphy had been done by hand. Inside, flowing lines of Xingese script were interspersed with delicate paintings of mountains, trees, and flowers.

It was a lovely gift Alphonse had given her. Ms. Bradley knew he had many friends in Amestris and he was always bringing back exotic souvenirs, but all the same, it touched her that he remembered her so much as to produce such thoughtful gifts as thanks for her hospitality.

The book she was holding, for instance, was a collection of popular poems by Xing's most famous poets. Knowing that she couldn't read Xingese and yet certain that she would like it, Al had purchased the book and then translated the poems himself, printing their meaning in his own small, neat hand wherever there was room. The overall effect was quite personal even though the poems weren't his. Another gift he'd presented her with had been a set of fine porcelain dishes, now proudly displayed in a cabinet in the dining room, far too precious to use at everyday meals.

Ms. Bradley turned her attention back to the next poem.

She hadn't even begun reading again when a black and shapeless _something _dropped into her lap.

She couldn't help it.

With a startled cry, she jerked back on the bench, sending both her book and the mysterious object tumbling to the ground.

"Nervous much?" Envy asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously at her reaction.

Ms. Bradley was much too old to become embarrassed or flustered the way a younger person might, but even so, her face flushed from the unexpected shock to her system. She put a hand over her heart and sank slowly back down onto the bench, closing her eyes briefly in an effort to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, Envy. I didn't hear you. You startled me."

When she opened her eyes again, he was still looking down at her, seeming more amused than apologetic, one hand held sassily on his hip.

In all honesty, she still wasn't comfortable with him, still felt nervous around him. After his odd threat on that second evening, he had only spoken to her when others were present, and even that was less speaking _to _her and more _about _her, as if she was just another piece of furniture or a pet (which recalled his reference to her as Selim's 'pet human'). Selim's other siblings were treating her with respect, and if it was a far different type of respect than that which she wielded as the past Fuhrer's widow, at least it was still something. Envy was the only one being _dis_respectful and she was frankly at a loss as to why he was acting the way he was and what she could do about it.

As if reading her thoughts about his lack of manners, Envy condescendingly gestured to the item on the ground.

"Pride said you're the one who washes stuff, so there you go."

She looked down at the black pile, but made no move to pick it up.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can't you tell?" he replied sarcastically.

Internally, Ms. Bradley frowned, but she kept her features schooled to calm and folded her hands in her lap, a finger marking her place in the book. Envy was a teenager. She wouldn't be rash, but this was a matter of wills. Her patience versus his rudeness. He'd learn soon enough to treat her with respect and he wouldn't even notice the change. She just needed to work on him patiently.

"No," she said with neither irritation nor diffidence.

He growled and muttered what sounded like something derogatory under his breath, then stomped forward and scooped up the bundle and thrust it back into her lap, all while wearing an incredibly annoyed expression.

"My clothes! Geez, what are you? Dense? What else would I want you to wash?"

"Ah," she simply responded, tucking in one of his cut-off socks so that it wouldn't fall out of the pile. "I just did the laundry yesterday, so it will be a few more days before I do another load. The laundry basket is in the first-floor washroom, so if you put these there, they'll get washed the next time-"

He cut her off by laughing and turning away, waving a hand lazily over his shoulder.

"I don't think so," he scoffed. "Do I look like a laundry maid? You're the woman, so it's _your _job."

_Well I never! _she thought indignantly, watching him walk away and placing the bundle of clothes beside her on the bench. _I should just leave these here and if they get ruined, it won't be fair for him to blame me. But that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do… I guess I'll take them in when I go inside. But if he can't put them in the laundry basket himself next time, I'm not washing them!_

She would have returned to her book, but Envy made a sauntering beeline for the pond on the left side of the garden. Curious, Ms. Bradley pretended to read but kept an eye peeking up to watch him.

It wasn't a large pond. She didn't know if it was natural or man-made, for it had been there when they'd moved into the mansion. She had only improved upon it, adding a decorative ring of round river stones around the edge and hanging a few birdfeeders in the overhanging tree branches. Shaded from the midday sun by the surrounding forest, it was a mossy spot, home to at least one turtle and numerous frogs. They had even had a few deer visit the previous summer; she dearly hoped they'd return, though the addition of more people might scare them off.

It was clear that Envy didn't care one wit about the pond itself. He had another objective in mind.

Ms. Bradley was not the only one enjoying the garden, after all.

Sloth was sitting underneath one of the trees. Alphonse had made new clothes for all of Selim's siblings and she could see that the weird tights and suspenders combination had been replaced by a far more ordinary white shirt and brown pants. For a moment, she wondered idly how Major Armstrong would react to meeting someone so similar in size and musculature. She doubted the Major had ever met anyone who could match him height-wise before. Sloth was too far away for her to make out his face (her eyes weren't what they used to be), but if Ms. Bradley had to guess, his expression was probably the same as it always was: vacant and staring.

On the one hand, she liked that he spent so much time in her garden. It was nice to have someone else appreciate and enjoy the care and effort she put into her hobby.

On the other hand, she was becoming concerned about him. The giant man didn't _do _anything! In the four days that she had been home, he had spent almost the entire time sitting and staring.

In the living room.

In Selim's study.

In the kitchen alcove.

Outside in the garden.

She'd tried to engage him in conversation, but Sloth's monosyllabic answers clearly showed his apathy for getting to know her or for being known. At first, Ms. Bradley had found him rude, but after her first few attempts, she'd re-evaluated that first impression. The others didn't seem at all concerned by his behaviour, or at least no one commented on it. And it wasn't like they were ignoring him either. He wasn't excluded from dinner conversation, but there seemed to be an unspoken conviction that he had nothing to contribute. His detachment was taken for granted.

She was curious, therefore, to see how Envy would interact with his giant of a brother.

Envy's voice carried clearly across the backyard to her ears.

"Still happily doing nothing, I see," he said to Sloth with a chiding tone. "You're so lazy, Sloth. Is this all you're planning on doing?"

She couldn't hear all of his words, but Ms. Bradley thought Sloth responded with, "Envy… Don't wanna'… do anything."

Envy scoffed, placed his hands on his hips, and looked out over the pond. From the distance, he looked unhappy, but Ms. Bradley couldn't be sure of that. The frown on his lips might just have been a shadow.

"… You're spending an awful lot of time out here, but I don't see anything special. I figured you're so lazy, you wouldn't even bother getting out of bed. It's a lot of effort when you always just complained about wanting to sleep."

"… It's nice… out here… Didn't get to… see sun… while digging hole."

_Gluttony mentioned something about that_, Ms. Bradley thought. _I wonder what digging he's talking about…?_

"Oh, I guess that's true…" was Envy's reply. "A hundred odd years underground, so if you spend a whole human lifespan out here, it'll balance out, huh? Do you even _understand _what being a human means?"

There was a jeer in his voice, but Sloth didn't respond and, for a moment, Envy continued to stand and looked about as if at a loss for what to do next. Ms. Bradley got the impression that he was frustrated about something and perhaps wanted to vent, but Sloth either didn't notice or didn't care enough to ask about it. Envy's piercing eyes fell on her for a moment and Ms. Bradley quickly put her head down, pretending to be engrossed in her book. When she looked up again, the snarky teenager had dropped down to the ground beside his brother, apparently settling in for a bit of relaxation as well.

Sloth gave no indication that he cared one way or the other about Envy's presence, but at the very least, Ms. Bradley was happy to see that he had someone to join him. Even if that person wasn't the most pleasant of company.

* * *

"Pride? Are we disturbing you?"

Selim glanced up from his work at the desk, somewhat surprised that Lust was coming to see him so soon after their little… He would call it a fight only because he couldn't think of a better word.

"Lust," he greeted. "Gluttony," he added as he caught sight of his brother peeking around Lust's waist in the doorway, apparently still acting as his sister's shadow for the day. "What is it? I thought you were…"

"You thought I was what?" she asked.

Selim looked away with a reluctant uneasiness that was pure child.

"I thought you were mad at me," he admitted. "For not having a plan…"

Lust eased the door open the rest of the way and entered Selim's study, Gluttony close on her heels. She had seen his child 'act' numerous times in the past week and now Selim understood that she had been holding out hope that it _was _just an act. Now she knew it wasn't. His sister hesitated before speaking and Selim felt a stab of realization that she wasn't sure how to treat him now that she knew his behaviour was genuine.

"… I'm not mad," she allowed in a gentle, reassuring voice. "It is not your fault."

The relief that washed over him was completely undignified, but he let it show on his face all the same.

"Thanks, Lust! That means a lot to me. So? What is it?" He looked around the room and noticed that the other chair, set in the corner by the bookshelf for him to stand on to reach the books on the higher shelves, was taken up by the stack of alchemy texts Big Brother had picked for him the day before leaving.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'll move those, just wait a minute."

Lust started to tell him that it wasn't necessary, but he ignored her, already happily moving the books from the chair to the floor.

Over his flurry of activity, Lust asked, "I want to know more about this… _alkahestry_. You've mentioned it several times and no one else seems confused by it, but I've never heard the term before and-"

"Oh, that's right!" Selim exclaimed. "You died before the Xingese arrived to interfere. I forgot about that!"

"-I'd like to understand the basic principles, especially since they pertain to our… resurrection. If you're studying, it can wait until later-"

"No, no, I'm not that busy. Post-transition metals are interesting and all, but I could use a break. Explaining the basics to someone else is always helpful for one's own understanding."

Lust crossed the room and looked down at the desk while he finished with the chair. He had left _Quintessence_ open and there were some papers with practice arrays and notes scattered about. She picked up a random sheet, studying it so intently that it seemed as if she meant to intimidate it into giving up its meaning.

"Okay," he chirped, patting the chair, and she set the page back down and took a seat, crossing her legs with her usual poised sensuality. Gluttony settled on the floor beside her. Sensing that the topic would be boring for him, Selim opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a sheaf of blank paper and a pack of crayons.

"What's this, Pride?" Gluttony asked when Selim placed the objects on the floor in front of him.

"I've got lots of paper, so if you want, you can draw instead of listening to us. What we're going to be talking about is kind of boring and technical. I ran out of black, though. Sorry."

Gluttony considered the supplies and Selim climbed up onto the desk, letting his feet dangle over the edge. In the style of his teachers, he quickly adopted a lecturing tone and Lust settled more comfortably into her chair to listen.

"Alkahestry is a style of alchemy from Xing. From what Teacher has explained about its history, we think that it's actually something Hohenheim developed. The Xingese have a legend about a sage from the West teaching them the ways of alkahestry, and the sage was said to have golden hair and eyes, so at the very least, he was a Xerxian. Since Father was the 'Philosopher of the East' who taught alchemy here in Amestris, Hohenheim could easily be the 'Philosopher of the West' who taught alkahestry to the people of Xing. That's what the timing suggests, anyway.

"Alkahestry most differs from alchemy in that it doesn't draw its energy from tectonic shifts like alchemy does. Instead, alkahestrists rely on a power that they call 'the Dragon's Pulse'. There is an energy, which they call 'chi', that flows in the ground much like blood flows in the body.

"Unlike alchemy, alkahestry doesn't rely on formulas to effect the transmutation. You know how we have to write runes and symbols around the edge of a transmutation circle, right? Well, alkahestrists don't do that. Instead, they rely solely on the chi's flow and their own will to determine the results of the transmutation. Their circles never vary. Their one circle is used for every type of transmutation."

Lust sat forward, intrigued. Gluttony had picked up one of the crayons, engulfing it in his huge hammy hands, and was beginning to draw, though Selim couldn't tell yet what it was supposed to be.

"But if alkahestry doesn't require symbols, doesn't that make it much stronger than alchemy?"

Selim shook his head.

"It might seem that way at first, but there are pros and cons to it. Alkahestry is definitely quicker to use. That is, unless you've seen the Truth and can do the clapping transmutation. Come to think of it…" Selim paused thoughtfully. "I've never asked Teacher if anyone in Xing has tried to perform human transmutation before. I wonder if they'd be able to open the Portal… Hmm, maybe I'll ask the next time he's here…"

Selim remained silent for a few moments, evidently considering the possibility before snapping out of his contemplation and continuing his explanation.

"Anyway, it's very versatile and can do everything that alchemy can do plus more. Alkahestrists can use their knowledge of flow and apply it to the human body, letting them heal wounds and sicknesses. They can also perform long-range transmutations by making the energy 'ride' the chi's flow through the earth to a distant location. Alchemy can't do either of those things.

"However, alkahestry has certain restrictions too. In order to access the flow, an alkahestrist needs to apply pressure to the earth in five concentrated points. Teacher's alkahestry teacher carried kunai knives and she used them to create the required points and form the basic pentagram."

Selim could see Lust didn't understand that, so he fumbled around on the desk and produced a fistful of pencils.

"I'll show you," he said, pushing the textbook out of the way to clear a flat space on the desk. Quickly, he drew a circle on a scrap of paper, then held the writing utensils point-down around the circle's edge. Or at least that was what he tried to do, but his small hands were hardly large enough to suspend all five pencils; the circle was too wide, and he only managed to hold four in their proper places, with the fifth slipping from his fingers. After three attempts, he gave up, feeling his point had been made.

"So alkahestry has a weakness in that it needs objects to make those pressure points. Knives are very common because they're easy to throw and dig into their target, making them ideal for long-range transmutations. Teacher has mentioned seeing needles used, and he once used sticks to heal someone in a pinch. But that wouldn't have worked if he had tried it on rock; he was lucky 'cause the ground was soft.

"Alkahestry also has the weakness of being much more difficult to learn. Looking at the populations of Amestris and Xing, there's a far higher percentage of alchemists than alkahestrists. Alchemy is a science; one just needs brains, a scientific leaning, and perseverance to learn it. But alkahestry is an art. Alkahestrists have no method for scientifically explaining how to sense chi. Practitioners are chosen out of those who show an early aptitude for the Dragon's Pulse. Self-study is impossible; you need a mentor to learn it. Whereas alchemy might seem hard because you need to understand all of the elements involved in the particular transmutation, alkahestry is equally difficult because you need to understand the unique characteristics of the land from which you're working _as well as _an understanding of the elemental properties."

Lust tapped her lips with a finger, digesting the information.

"And you're learning this art too?"

Selim grew a little red in the face as he admitted, "Well, uh, I _am _studying it, but it's a lot, um, slower to learn than alchemy. I mean, I'm not very good at it yet. I'm not very good at reading the flow and I can only do the simplest of transmutations and it's fifty-fifty if something even happens, but…"

"Give me a demonstration?" she asked in that rising lilt of hers that made men so malleable. And even though he was just a child, the same tone helped lessen his reservations and made him want to show off for his sister.

"Alright, I'll try."

He hopped down from the desk and paused to consider what he could do in the room. Without at least one circle in the earth, he couldn't even attempt a long-range transmutation, but he could do something simple with paper or wood if he could find some way to make the points. It wouldn't be special – he could easily do something much more complicated with alchemy – but at least she'd be able to see how alkahestry didn't need any formulas to work…

_Aha! Those'll work! _Breaking into a big smile, Selim remembered the thumbtacks in the top desk drawer. _They wouldn't work with earth, but with paper they should be enough!_

He dropped cross-legged to the floor, joining Gluttony and beckoning for Lust to sit with them as well, which she did, gathering her dress neatly as she sat on folded knees. Gluttony paused in his drawing to observe and Lust watched with sharp eyes as he took one of the sheets and a stray crayon from Gluttony.

Teacher's instructions echoed in his mind.

_Step 1: Draw the circle._

Simple enough.

_Step 2: Make the points._

Carefully, he measured the five points with his eyes and stuck the thumbtacks into the paper so that they were equidistant from each other, feeling them bite into the blue carpet underneath.

"See?" he said, tracing his finger from point to point over the page for Lust's benefit. "The points form a pentagram when the circle is activated. And there aren't any formulas or symbols."

_Step 3: Read the flow and exert your will to follow that flow._

The hardest step by far. Selim's eyes slid around the room, spending a few moments studying the sunlight coming in through the window, studying the walls and floor and ceiling. In buildings, the flow was affected by obstructions, bouncing off walls and bright surfaces to follow the path of least resistance. Teacher had once said, in response to the poor boy's frustrated outburst at not getting it, that one rule of thumb was to look at how the light and air flowed. You couldn't always rely on that, but it was a good indicator of how the energy also flowed. Selim had performed alkahestric transmutations plenty of times in this very room, but as the earth moved on its axis, so did the energy. Each transmutation in alkahestry was different.

_Well, here it goes!_

He placed his hands on the edge of the circle. The circle lit up with a blue light – there was the pentagram, just like he'd said! – and the paper began to crumple and fold in on itself.

For several seconds, the light flashed and jumped and then it fizzled out. Selim hung his head in disappointment. The paper was left in a mutated and tangled mess.

"I'm sorry, Lust. I was trying to create a paper airplane. I thought that was simple enough for me to handle, but maybe the tacks weren't enough…"

"It's fine," she replied. "At least now I have some knowledge of it and what to expect. But I remember you mentioning that the younger Elric could sense your Stone. I don't understand how the two are related."

"They're not," Selim answered. "Or at least, not really. When I said that Teacher could sense the Stone through his alkahestry, I was fudging the truth a little. I really meant that he's developed the skill that many Xingese possess."

"And that is…?"

"Sensing the chi of living beings," Selim explained. "It's a special ability. Caused us a lot of trouble after you died. Basically, they can sense souls. And because of our Stones, they were able to find us and track us even in the dark. That's why Teacher is worried about Greed going to Xing: He's not sure if the Xingese would notice that Greed's soul isn't in his body. And it's why he would know instantly if my Stone got its power back. The increase in souls would give me away."

His sister frowned in thought, likely regretting her premature death simply because it had left her ignorant about so many things. But it wasn't like she _needed _to know about alkahestry or the Xingese ability. Teacher was the only alkahestrist to ever visit them. Immigration (legal and illegal) had increased in the past six years, but the Xingese usually chose to settle in towns closer to Amestris's borders. It was easier to establish contacts with the other countries and expand their businesses in the border towns, and any transfer students who knew Mrs. Curtis purposefully avoided Dublith, fearing even the hometown of the fearsome alchemy-teaching housewife.

It felt like the conversation was at an end. Bored, Selim rolled onto his stomach and glanced over at Gluttony and his work.

"Hey, can I see what you're drawing?" he asked curiously.

"Okay." His brother reached over, offering his drawing, and Selim accepted it and studied it while kicking his bare legs in the air behind him.

One of the objects was clearly a cake of some kind. The proportions weren't quite right, but there was a surprising amount of detail, with red berries and sprinkles and multiple layers and-

"What's this one supposed to be?" he asked, pointing to a brown, peach, and purple shape that had a few stray lines drawn over it. "These kind of look like whiskers. Is it some kind of animal, maybe?"

"It's Lust," Gluttony replied, too innocent to be offended by Selim's mistake. Behind him, Lust grimaced, but now that he knew, Selim could see the resemblance. She _was _wearing her purple dress, there was no black because he'd used it all up drawing shadows, and peach was the closest colour to her skin. Actually, white was the closest, but there wasn't much point in colouring a white paper white. Even Gluttony knew that! The whiskers must have an attempt to show her Ultimate Spear.

"Hey, hey! I just got a great idea! Why don't we have a contest?"

"At drawing?" Lust asked sceptically.

"Yeah! Aw, come on, Lust! It'll be fun! Pleeaaase?"

His sister, Selim decided, was an absolute pushover. Big eyes and pleading voice and cute smile and she gave in just like that. Just like Mother, in fact.

Not that he was complaining about it. He liked getting his way.

* * *

Maybe fifteen minutes later, Greed strolled in from his walk, boisterously asking what Selim's plans were regarding training and surprised to find the three of them laid out on the floor, papers and crayons scattered about.

It took more than his child act to get Greed to join in, but Selim knew the way to Greed's heart:

He enticed him with the promise of a cash prize for the winner.

_Simple_, he thought disdainfully as Greed joined them on the floor.

* * *

Not long after that, Envy and Sloth came into the study, Envy making some excuse about wondering what everyone was up to and forcing Sloth to tag along because he was disgusted by the big galoot's laziness.

Selim didn't even need to coax Envy into joining in; his little brother hated to be left out. And, well, there was no way to entice Sloth into doing something he didn't have to, but Selim placed some paper and crayons in front of him all the same. Maybe he'd surprise them by making a line across the page.

* * *

Selim was a diligent worker, so it was Ms. Bradley's habit to leave him alone when he was studying. At most, she'd bring him a mid-afternoon snack as a reward for his hard work, but she tried not to disturb him unless necessary. Going by the single-minded concentration that Edward exhibited whenever he was working on an alchemy problem, she felt that it was better not to interrupt her son.

That being the case, it was nearing late afternoon/early evening when Ms. Bradley grew curious enough to think about checking on him. The clock on the living room mantel read 5:30. Selim usually finished his studies an hour before dinner, so he was half an hour late in coming downstairs. Was he stuck on an especially difficult question?

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen any of his siblings for a while either. What could they be up to? Gluttony at the very least usually made his way to the kitchen around this time to help her with the cooking. Already he was showing quite the knack for it. She didn't want to be selfish, but if he eventually took charge of making the meals, she for one would be quite grateful.

Shrugging lightly and in no particular hurry, she set her teacup down and made her way up the stairs to find out what her little boy was doing. As she reached the landing, she heard voices drifting down the hall from Selim's study. The voices only grew louder as she drew nearer.

"Ha! You call that good? The nose looks like a drunken tapeworm!"

"No it doesn't! I don't see you doing any better, you little freak!"

"Oh, really? Well here, I'll show you how it's done by drawing a picture of _you_ next!"

"Oh no you don't! Give me that!"

"Hey Pride, hand me the pink and yellow ones."

"I told you to stop calling me that, but here. I was done with them anyway."

"If you're going to mutilate my handsome features, then fine! I'll do the same to you! Where's green? "

"Gluttony had it last."

"What, he hasn't eaten it yet?"

"Oi, Gluttony, hand it over. I want it."

"Don't bum it off him! You've already got your own right there. You're just trying to hoard them all for yourself!"

"It's not hoarding, it's _collecting_. Anyway, you know I don't share well. If you've got a problem with it, get me my own box."

_What in heaven's name are they doing in there? _Ms. Bradley wondered. The door was open a crack and she paused outside the room to listen. She could just see a sliver of desk, some of the bookshelf, and Sloth's broad back, but she couldn't see any of the others.

"Hey, wait a minute. What the hell is _that_?"

"Can't you tell? It's a dress. I always knew pink would look good on you."

"Bitch! Give that here!"

"No way, I'm not finished yet. I need to add Ed and that boyfriend of yours first."

"My _what_?!"

"You know, that Xingese brat whose body you're in. Had to be awful cozy, sharing a body like-"

"Damn it, we weren't-"

"I think I'll add a rainbow too, just in case the love and peace theme doesn't come across well enough from just the dress and the holding hands bit."

"Fine, you want to fight? Then take a look at this!"

"What, a green blob? Is that supposed to offend me?"

"Don't recognize your own ugly mug, huh? I'll give you a hint: What has eight legs and a tail and a hundred faces oozing off its-"

The answer was an inarticulate yell, followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor. Suddenly quite worried, Ms. Bradley pushed the door open and was appalled by what she found.

Selim, Lust, and Gluttony were sitting on the floor, surrounded by papers, and Sloth was sitting at the desk with his back to the group. Selim and Lust had their heads together; they were each holding a drawing and seemed to be comparing the talents of each artist.

"I'd say that Envy's the best at faces, you're the best at bodies, Gluttony's good at food, and I'm the best at scenery," Selim was saying. "And Greed just sucks at everything. Look at this: It doesn't look like Envy's true form at all- Oh, hello Mother!"

He beamed up at her, seeming entirely unconcerned that his two brothers were rolling around in the middle of the room. Envy was clearly furious, struggling for Greed's face with wordless hisses, and Greed was letting loose his own string of expletives.

"Let go!" "Take it back!" "Ow! You stupid-" "Make fun of _me_ why don't you-" "Get off of me!"

What else could she do? No one else was trying to break them up and she couldn't just let them keep fighting.

"Greed! Envy! Stop this! Stop fighting! Someone's going to get hurt," Ms. Bradley begged, rushing forward and then hesitating to get too close because she didn't want to get hit by accident.

The two ignored her or, if she wanted to be generous (and she wasn't feeling like it at the moment), didn't hear her. Instead, they continued to roll and curse at each other and Ms. Bradley turned to her son frantically.

"Selim, help me!"

"Just leave them be, Mother. They'll get bored of it eventually."

"We can't do that! We have to make them stop!"

"It's better to let them get it out of their systems."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and from her own son at that! Desperately, she turned back to the two men, starting to become fed up enough to take a firmer hand with them, but thankfully it turned out to be unnecessary.

Envy and Greed rolled into the back of Sloth's chair, finally catching his attention and apparently disturbing him, for to everyone's surprise, he reached down, grasped the both of them firmly by their collars, and stood up, lifting the pair clear off the floor with no effort at all. It was an impressive show of strength.

"What a bother… Envy… Greed… Don't fight… Too much of a pain…"

Ms. Bradley imagined that being handled like a couple of squabbling children was both humbling and humiliating. Thoroughly chastened without any need for words, the two stopped their bickering immediately.

"Hey, Big Guy, sorry. Didn't mean to bother you. Put us down, 'kay?"

"Let go! Put me down, Sloth!"

Sloth lowered his arms and released his grip and the two stood for a moment trying to gather their dignity, of which there was precious little remaining. Greed tugged at his shirt collar, trying to get it straight, and Envy was holding a hand to his face tenderly.

"Look at this! You got blood all over me!"

"That's your own blood, stupid."

"That's not the tone to be taking with the person who just beat you."

"You didn't beat me! It was a tie-"

"Whoa sh-" Greed started, suddenly staring at the desk from under Sloth's armpit.

"Watch your language, please," Ms. Bradley chided.

"-it, Sloth! How'd you _do _that?! That's amazing!"

Envy looked past Sloth's other side and gasped. With collective curiosity, the others crowded around the desk too to stare at Sloth's work.

He had only one sheet of paper, but what he'd created on that one sheet was… Well, none of them could believe it.

It was a close-up of a bird perched on a rosebush. A small brown thrush, Ms. Bradley knew, by the speckles on its chest and the shape of its beak. The detail was incredible considering the medium had been a limited palette of crayons. There were the little claws, the black beady eye, the glint of sunlight off its beak and feathers. The roses were a deep red and the shadowing was remarkably realistic. The scene could have been taken directly out of her garden. No, it _had _been taken directly out of her garden.

"Wow, Sloth! I didn't know you even _knew_ how to draw! When did you learn to-"

"So pretty!"

"Check that out! Is that _dew _on the petals?"

Sloth seemed unaffected by his siblings' praise.

"Is it… good?"

"'Good'?" Ms. Bradley repeated incredulously. "My dear, it's beautiful! I had no idea! I would have gotten the supplies out for you days ago if I had known! Which would you prefer? We have acrylics and oils and watercolour paints. I'd be happy to get them for you."

Sloth stared down at her for a moment, but he didn't answer. Ignoring her offer, he slowly turned and wordlessly headed for the door.

_Maybe the noise bothered him? _she thought. _At least I'm pretty sure he wasn't being rude on purpose._

She turned back to the others, who were still talking about how surprised they were to discover their huge oaf of a brother had an artistic side. Greed's shirt, she saw, was indeed splattered with blood; his bottom lip was bleeding. And Envy's eye was starting to swell; clearly he'd taken at least one punch to the face.

She sighed and struggled not to sound wholly exasperated.

"I guess we'll be having dinner late tonight. Come on, you two. I have a first aid kit in the bathroom."

_I thought Selim was the only child in the bunch, but clearly I'm going to have to rethink_ _that little assumption…_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_To my anonymous guest reviewers_: I wasn't expecting so many guest reviews. It is my own personal preference for authors to not respond to reviews in their stories, so I'm sorry if you were hoping to hear back from me that way. As a reader, I find that long author's responses detract from the story's flow. Nevertheless, I appreciate your comments all the same. If you desperately want to hear from me, I can post responses on my profile.

_Poem_: Written by Du Fu, a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty who lived in the 700s. There is no special meaning behind my choosing this particular poem, but I associate Xing with China, so I searched for a popular Chinese poet and took a short example with natural images.

_Envy being sexist_: I don't know why, but I just think it'd be funny if Envy held a lot of sexist gender stereotypes. In my head canon, he had a hard time learning about the differences between the genders. Therefore, in teaching him, the differences may have been exaggerated by the other Homunculi. In addition, even if Amestris has greater gender equality than our world did in 1915, it's still likely that the genders weren't as equal when the older Homunculi were born.

_Sloth being artistic_: So there's the big reveal of at least one of my ideas for Sloth. Sloth always reminded me of a person who had the wiring upstairs done a little differently than the rest of us. I'm thinking of people who are so absolutely incredible at one thing, be it music or art or numbers or what have you. And yet, at the cost of that incredible talent, they suffer in other skills that sometimes render them disabled or unable to live normally in society. I picture Sloth being really entranced by natural beauty because he had to live underground for so long. He seems to just be staring, but he's really absorbing a near photographic image of what he's seeing, and yet he still has great difficulty thinking or communicating. Anyway, I like the idea, so I hope it goes over well.


	17. The Forbearer

Number of words: 3,159

Published date: December 2, 2012

Began chapter: December 1, 2012

Finished chapter: December 2, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Forbearer**

"Ow! That hurts! I told you not to touch me!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course it hurts. What did you expect from a fight?"

"I expected it to hurt, but it's not supposed to last! Pain is _supposed_ to be temporary!"

Ms. Bradley ignored Envy's griping, letting his words become little more than background noise as she scooped a bit more of the ointment onto her fingers. She didn't understand what he was talking about and, tired from the fight that she hadn't even participated in, she wasn't feeling up to trying to figure out what he meant.

She reached out for Envy's face again, ready to rub another dollop of cream onto the quickly darkening bruise under his right eye. He glared at her hand as if it was a viper. Did he think she was doing it just to cause him pain?

"Oh, stop being silly. If you don't let me do this, it will only hurt more later," she chided with far less patience than she would have liked.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, but allowed her to continue all the same, doing his best not to wince when her fingers put pressure on his cheek.

They were in the bathroom, Envy sitting on the edge of the bathtub and Ms. Bradley sitting on the little plastic stool that Selim used to climb up to the sink. The first aid kit was open on her lap, but aside from some alcohol swabs and band-aids, there wasn't much use in it. Neither Envy nor Greed was really hurt. A few scrapes, a few bruises, but nothing to be concerned over really. Envy had come off the worse but they wouldn't know until the next day whether the bruise turned into a bright shiner or not.

"What is this stuff?" he asked, trying to take his mind off the throbbing in his face.

"It's a cream with some herbs that are supposed to help with bruising," she answered. "King gave it to me a few years ago. I bruise so easily now that I'm older and he always did fuss over me whenever I hurt myself." She was too busy concentrating on Envy's cheek to see the odd look that he gave her. "It's hard to know how much it helps, but I'm sure it makes a difference."

"Alright, Ma'am, here's the shirt. Now what?"

Greed came in through the open door brandishing the shirt he'd been wearing, the blood spots standing out bright red against the white fabric.

He, at least, had obeyed her without protest. While she had led Envy to the bathroom to tend to his eye, she had offered Greed a clean rag to hold against his split lip and told him to remove the shirt. Then, when he'd immediately moved to do as told, she'd revised her order to be more specific: _Go to your room to change, please._ Call her old-fashioned, but tolerating Envy's state of half-nakedness was pushing her sensibilities as it was. She didn't need the young man to pull his shirt off in front of her when it wasn't necessary, even if he was good-looking. (And she much preferred men in uniform, thank you very much!)

Ms. Bradley was highly dubious of their being able to save the shirt – blood was the most difficult of stains to remove – but they might as well try.

"Put it in the sink and fill it with cold water. Just knead it a bit to work the blood out. If the spots haven't dried yet, that should keep any stains from forming. And if not, I'll need to see if we have any ammonia…"

"It's okay, Mother. If the stains won't come out, it'll be easy for me to remove them."

She looked up. "Oh, that's right. I'm always forgetting how useful alchemy is." She paused to draw her hand back when Envy made a sound of protest at his cheek being pressed too hard. "I'm sorry. Do you have the ice, Selim dear?"

The child nodded and offered the cold baggie. Twisting around to reach behind her, Ms. Bradley dug through the cupboard under the sink, pulling out a facecloth to wrap the ice in and then handing the bundle to Envy.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said to Selim. "Here you are, Envy. Just hold it against your face there and it will keep the swelling down."

He did as told and looked absolutely miserable doing it.

"Selim, could you do me a favour and go to the kitchen and start a pot of water boiling for the vegetables? And if you and Gluttony could peel a few potatoes too, that would be a real help to me…"

"Of course, Mother."

Without a backward glance, Selim left to do as bidden and Ms. Bradley began to clean up, returning bandages and cotton swabs to the first aid kit as Greed worked on his shirt in the sink.

"How long do I gotta' leave this here anyway?" Envy asked sourly.

"The longer, the better. You don't want a black eye, do you?"

He didn't dignify the question with an answer, but Greed chuckled.

"I for one think a black eye would look just great on-"

"Shut up, Greed!" his brother snapped, but before he could say more, Ms. Bradley briskly spoke up.

"Stop that," she said in exasperation, placing her hands on her hips and turning her green eyes from Envy to Greed and back again, giving the sternest look she could muster. "Honestly, how old are the two of you, to be fighting like little children?"

She had meant for her words to be a reprimand, but rather than embarrassed, Envy adopted a speculative look.

"What's the year again?" he asked.

"Uh, it's 1921," she answered hesitantly.

"Then let's see, that would be… 1743 from 1921…" He ticked off his fingers as he thought. "No, easier to go from nineteen hundred first, so 157 plus twenty one is 178… And those six years in between shouldn't count… So then that would make me 172 years old. Give or take the months."

Ms. Bradley stared silently for a moment. Without noticing, she reached out and grasped the door frame, suddenly feeling dizzy. She couldn't help it; she couldn't believe it.

"But that's not… I mean, you can't be…"

"There's no such thing as no such thing," Greed laughed.

"But you don't look a day older than twenty!"

Envy practically preened under her flabbergasted expression. "Please!" he said, placing his free hand (the hand not holding the ice pack to his face) to his chest in mock indignation. "Why would I settle for looking like some old, wrinkled geezer when I can be young and cute?" He gave her a sharp look. "How can you even be surprised? Isn't bringing dead people back to life a lot more surprising than us being older than we look?"

She could only shake her head, light brown ponytail swinging from side to side.

"I just didn't realize… And if Selim is the oldest among you, then-"

"What, Pride didn't tell you? He's got to be at least four hundred by now."

_Four… hundred? That's not… That can't be possible!_

She only noticed how close she was to fainting when Greed suddenly appeared at her side, his hand grabbing her arm as support.

"Whoa, you alright? Don't go passing out on us!"

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just need to sit down for a moment."

Greed's grip was too firm on her arm and he didn't even think that the toilet might not be the nicest place for her to sit, but she could tell that he was trying his best, solicitously letting her lean on him as he guided her to the toilet seat cover.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I just didn't… I didn't know. I knew Selim was older than he looked, but I thought… I thought he was maybe twenty or thirty. Certainly I didn't think he was older than me… And by so much…"

How ridiculous it seemed to call him her son. If he was four hundred, he couldn't even be her father! Her great grandfather, maybe. This changed everything.

Greed seemed to guess at her thoughts.

"Hey, just 'cause he's older than you thought doesn't mean he's different. The kid's still a kid. I mean, look at Envy: Can hardly call him mature, now can you?"

"Speak for yourself! I'm plenty mature!"

"Which reminds me," Greed said, turning to his brother, "how old am I?"

"Why do you need me to tell you? Figure it out for yourself," Envy replied irritably.

"I can't. I don't remember my first life, remember? How'm I supposed to figure it out if I don't know what birth date to start from?"

"And you just assume I care enough about you to know when you were born? Like I'd keep track of something so unimportant."

"Fine, I'll just ask Lust. She'll tell me."

"No," Envy said, the start of a wicked grin forming on his lips. "I'll tell you. It's only fair to count the time you can remember, so if we count from your second birth and take away the years in between, you're not even scratching a year. So it looks like you're the baby of the family, Greed!"

"The hell I am! There's no way I'm younger than your scrawny ass!" And Greed turned for the door, quite prepared to find Lust or Pride and ask them how old he really was. Envy rose as well, still pressing the ice pack to his cheek.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth! So you'd better start showing me more respect, _baby brother_."

"Do you want me to give you a matching set?"

"Huh? Of what?"

"Eyes," Greed replied.

"Why don't you go ahead and try, you…"

Their voices faded as they continued down the hall, any concern for Ms. Bradley completely forgotten in their bickering. That was fine with her. She had too much to think about.

Selim wasn't the age she'd thought he was. She'd been behaving under the assumption that she was the older. How did this change things between them? Had he only been tolerating her childish treatment of him all this time, silently enduring the hugs and praise and bedtime stories and games and all the other things that she'd offered as a mother to her child? What about the advice she gave, the things she taught him? Were they lessons that he had already learned hundreds of year ago?

But, thinking back, she couldn't believe that to be the case. His behaviour had always been encouraging of her mothering.

_Greed is right_, she thought with some reassurance. _Look at those two. At least Envy claims to be much older than he seems, but he still has the mentality of the teenager he looks like. Selim may be very old, but he's still a child at heart._

She felt a little stronger now that she'd had some time to sit down and think it over. Life was no less complicated, but this new knowledge wasn't something she couldn't deal with. With a sigh, she rose to her feet.

Dinner wouldn't make itself, after all.

* * *

She was pleasantly surprised and quite thankful to find that Gluttony and Selim had not only started the water boiling and peeled the potatoes, but had taken the initiative to continue preparing dinner without her. When she came into the kitchen to help, Selim shooed her away. With nothing to do, she puttered around for a bit and then decided that she could at least set the table for dinner.

When she came into the dining room, she found Selim and his siblings' artwork spread out on the table.

First things first. She gathered up the papers into a neat pile and placed them on a chair out of the way, then set about what she'd come to do. Only once the plates and utensils and glasses were all in their places did she sit down and study the drawings.

They were all quite unique and distinct depending on the artist. Ms. Bradley guessed at who had drawn what and found the exercise quite enjoyable. After all, before this, she'd only had Selim's pictures to study.

Gluttony's drawings showed a thick hand and were rather childish. Most were simple except for some details on foods and Ms. Bradley couldn't identify most of the objects that weren't food. She thought one of the drawings was Lust, but he had given her ridiculously long fingers and she couldn't fathom why.

Lust had focused on drawing men; her lines were crisp and sharp and they had the feel of anatomical studies, focusing less on faces and more on movement. There were a few men depicted that Ms. Bradley didn't recognize and a few she did: That one looked like Brigadier General Mustang, minus his moustache. There was a man with bushy bangs and a cigarette dangling from his mouth with piercing blue eyes that felt familiar, though she couldn't place him. Maybe he was a soldier she'd seen but never met. And there was a man wearing a jacket remarkably similar to the one Alphonse had made for Greed, with spiky hair and sunglasses and a crooked, sharp-toothed grin.

Envy had also focused on people, but where Lust's were more sketch-like and included the whole body, Envy had paid particular attention to faces and expressions. The details from memory were impressive. There was Edward, exactly as he'd looked six years ago, and she couldn't tell what Envy had changed to manipulate his age like that. He seemed sad and solemn, looking down slightly towards the bottom of the page. There was a serious looking woman with short black hair and a mole under her eye. There was a man with square glasses and light hazel eyes and a bit of scruff on his chin, who looked (Why had Envy chosen such an expression of all things?) horrified.

Greed's pictures were at least not as simple as Gluttony's, but he had no concept of perspective or composition or shading or… well, anything, really. It seemed he had tried to cram far too much into his pictures and they came out crowded, confused, and unfocused. She recognized his siblings only by their clothing.

Enjoying herself thoroughly, Ms. Bradley was somewhat startled when the others came to the table, not having realized how much time had passed. She hadn't heard Selim give the call for dinner. Greed had obviously tracked Lust down and asked about his age, for they were still talking about it, and none of them paid her any mind as they sat down.

Ignoring the conversation, she continued to flip through the papers and was near the bottom of the stack when she came across the picture that had started the fight in the first place.

Envy had departed from the style of his other drawings. The scene he'd depicted was childish and purposefully simple. There was a man, clearly Greed by the black ponytail, decked out in a pink, flouncy dress. There was Edward on his left in his red jacket and there was another man on his right who looked similar to Greed but was wearing a black jacket and white pants. They were all holding hands, and the background was of a brightly colourful meadow, with sun and rainbow overhead.

_Who is the more immature? s_he wondered to herself. _Envy for drawing this just to antagonize him, or Greed for being insulted by it? Maybe I should be thankful that Selim is as old as he is. Otherwise, there'd be even more children to take care of._

The next picture drew her up short. It was one of Greed's, so the details were poor, but they didn't need to be good to show what it was a drawing of.

It was a monster.

There was nothing to compare with on the page, but Ms. Bradley distinctly felt that the creature was huge. Huge, green, and misshapen. It had eight legs and a tail. It had a broad mouth and creepy eyes and black hair on its head, the way humans had. But the thing that really made her skin crawl was its shoulders and sides, where shapeless _somethings_ crowded around.

Because they looked like faces. Faces and arms stretching out and it was absolutely horrifying and disgusting and why in the world had Greed drawn this?

"Mother, how much do you want of the-"

"Selim, what is this?" she asked, interrupting him and holding up the drawing for him to look at.

The others went silent and looked over to see what she was talking about and several things happened at once.

Envy stiffened in his seat and sent a murderous look down the table at Greed. Lust glanced at Envy with a worried expression. Selim turned to Greed and glared at him accusatorily and Greed shrugged as if to say that it was too late to apologize. Gluttony opened his mouth and Lust hastily put her hand across him, stopping him from answering.

She didn't understand their reactions and continued to wait on her son in blissfully ignorant curiosity, completely unaware of the dangerous waters she was treading.

Selim quickly turned from Greed and smiled at her disarmingly, answering in a breezy air that said it was of no great importance.

"Oh, you know, Mother, it's a… um…" His eyes darted a quick look at Envy, still stiff and scowling, and he seemed to pick his words with care. "It's a chimera. You remember, they were in Central a few years ago."

"You mean this thing actually exists? That's even more horrible than it just being imaginary. But what _is _it?" she pressed.

"Chimeras are creatures made with alchemy," he replied.

"People _made _this? That's awful… What a terrible way to have to live," she murmured with a tinge of pity.

Why did Selim flinch at that and look once again in Envy's direction?

And why was Envy's face growing darker?

"I- I don't think so," Selim said hesitantly, now not looking at her at all, instead watching Envy to gauge his reaction. "It looks really fearsome, don't you think? I bet a creature like that could take down anything it came across. I'd be scared of it, that's for sure."

"That's true," she agreed.

She couldn't imagine why, but the dark look left Envy's face. He nodded to Selim, silently approving the boy's choice in describing the creature as 'fearsome', and the group collectively relaxed again.

Maybe he'd been about to become mad because it had been his pet and he felt that she was insulting it?

Ms. Bradley didn't think that was the true reason, but she couldn't think of anything better and, once again, she had to accept that there were some things she was better off just not knowing.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Forbearer_: The word 'forbear' means to refrain, abstain, withhold, or, as I wish to use it, "to be patient or self-controlled when subject to annoyance or provocation." Ms. Bradley must forbear much.


	18. Sin

Number of words: 4,104

Published date: December 9, 2012

Began chapter: December 8, 2012

Finished chapter: December 9, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 18: Sin**

Something was different.

Greed couldn't quite put his finger on it. He couldn't identify the changes that made him think it, but he was positive that Lust and Envy were acting differently than they had been the day before.

It couldn't only be that the Elrics had left. That explanation just didn't feel right. If anything, Lust should be looking more pleased that they were gone and instead her face seemed tighter, a line of worry or perhaps deep thought marring her forehead when she didn't realize he was looking at her. And Greed would have expected Envy to be relieved. Instead, he seemed in an even fouler mood than before, which of course didn't mean a whole lot because, as far as Greed had seen, Envy was perpetually cranky.

Or at least perpetually cranky at him. Greed could remember his first few moments of life and, considering that the two had insulted each other right off the bat, there hadn't really been a chance for them to be civil to each other. In a way, he should have counted himself lucky to be assigned to guarding the tunnels; it meant he didn't have to see Envy very often. There was something strangely nostalgic and familiar in bickering with his shape-shifting sibling. Greed didn't even intend it, but when the opportunity presented itself, his mouth opened seemingly of its own accord to push his younger brother's buttons. Maybe it was something that he'd carried over from his first life.

Thankfully, Lust had assured him that he _was_ the older of the two, even if he couldn't remember it. He'd be damned if the immature brat was really older than him!

Greed was tempted at first to ignore the changes he was sensing. Maybe he was imagining it, and he had only promised Ed that he'd protect Ms. Bradley, not that he'd be the responsible parent of the household and report on every little thing that might hint at trouble. He didn't care if he had sided with the humans; he was _not _the responsible type! Responsibilities just weighed a person down. He would watch the Missus because he'd said he would, but that would be because he wanted to, not because it was a responsibility.

Still, it wouldn't do to have those two plotting something behind his back.

The next morning, after that little scene over dinner involving his drawing of Envy's true form, Greed took the opportunity to talk to his eldest brother before Lust and Envy got up.

The kid, surprising for his physical (if not actual) age, got up rather early. Madam Bradley rose with the sun and in the summer that meant as early as five in the morning. With his bedroom window directly facing the east and taking the full brunt of the morning sunlight, Greed wasn't long after her in rising. And Selim got up around seven, usually so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed that it was hard to believe he'd just woken up. One of the first things he did was fetch the newspaper from the bottom of the mansion's long, steep driveway.

That morning, Greed laid in wait for his brother on the landing overlooking the foyer and, as soon as Pride said good morning to Ms. Bradley and put on his outdoor shoes, Greed pounced.

"I'm going to get the paper, Mother!" the kid called from the front entrance.

"That so?" Greed drawled, coming down the stairs to join the boy. "Then I'll come with you."

Pride- No, Selim – Greed still had a hard time remembering to call him by his human name – looked surprised at this, but gave no objections.

"Okay, Greed. Mother doesn't like it when I go alone anyway."

They started down the driveway and of course the morning was gorgeous, as it had been the whole week. Was this weather typical for the summers here? It was still early, but the day was already growing hot. Birds flitted and sang in the trees overhead, falling silent as the pair passed underneath, which was a little odd considering that they were walking without speaking.

The silence made Greed uncomfortable. He still wasn't used to the whole my-brother-who-tried-to-kill-me-is-now-an-innocent-kid thing.

He trusted Ed's judgment. He really did. And if Alphonse had studied in Xing, they could be certain that Pride didn't have his powers anymore. Still, there was the niggling worry that the Elrics had been tricked somehow. Pride was a smart and deceptive being. Could he really discount the possibility that Pride had more nefarious plans in mind than simply wanting his family back?

Greed found it hard to get the conversation started, for he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to say.

_Uh, I just kinda' noticed that Lust and Envy seem to be acting… different. No, I don't really know how and I can't explain it, but I just wanted to… point it out, I guess… You know, see if you had anything to say on the matter…_

_Yeah_, Greed thought sarcastically, _that doesn't sound entirely lame._

In the end, it was Selim, not him, who spoke up first.

"You didn't really want to come with me for no reason, did you, Greed?" he asked.

"No. I wanted to talk to you about something, but I'm not sure how to put it…"

Selim waited patiently for him to find the right words.

"Have you noticed that Lust and Envy seem to be acting… strange?" he finally asked.

"Strange?" the child repeated.

"Yeah," Greed nodded. "I mean, I thought they'd be happier to have Ed and Al out of their hair, but they just seem…"

"Upset?" Selim supplied helpfully. Greed nodded again. "Of course they're upset. They just found out that there's no plan."

"Huh?"

"They thought I was tricking Big Brother and Teacher. Lust tracked me down not long after they left so that they could question me about the plan without being found out."

"Wait a minute," Greed said, holding up his hand. "What plan? And where was I when this happened?"

"You went for a walk, remember? And that's just it: There is no plan. I was telling the truth all along and they didn't believe me."

"Hold on. I'm not following you. Back up a bit."

Selim sighed in exasperation, but his voice was only a little condescending as he answered.

"Lust and Envy thought I was lying about why I brought you all back. They were hoping that I was tricking Big Brother and Teacher and that I actually had a plan to get our powers back or to continue Father's plan or something. It was too risky to ask me about it when the Elrics were around and they didn't want to blow my child act, so they waited until yesterday to ask and I had to give them the bad news."

_Well_, thought Greed, _that certainly could explain why they're acting differently. They were holding out hope that this wasn't permanent… And I guess this answers whether I can trust the kid or not. If there _was_ some sort of plan, he'd hardly tell the one who betrayed them before. Unless all three of them are acting and he's just saying this to throw me off…_

They reached the bottom of the driveway and Selim continued to talk while stretching up on tiptoe to reach inside the mailbox.

"Don't worry. I told them in no uncertain terms that we're not going to create any more Stones. I won't allow anything that could bring harm to Mother or me."

_Do I believe him? _Greed wondered, but without knowing the reason why, he felt that he did. He had learned an important lesson right before dying and, from what Ed had said, so had his brother. And maybe the lessons weren't all that different. As much as he wanted it to, stuff couldn't fill his emptiness. As much as Pride might wish otherwise, he couldn't stand on his own. The connection was that humans needed each other to be happy.

And wasn't that just a sappy line of thought!

He cut his thoughts off before he could get onto the subject of friendship and Ling and how much he wanted to just ditch this place and head out for Xing right away because all the rationalizing in the world couldn't guarantee that his avarice wouldn't take charge and send him walking to the nearest train station and he had _promised_ Ed (Damn him for making him promise!) that he'd stick around and there was nothing quite so unpleasant as having two desires (the desire to leave and the desire to keep his word) competing with each other.

Instead, Greed grabbed hold of a topic related to his little brother's last statement.

"Speaking of not bringing harm to you, we need to make some plans on how we're going to do this training thing. I don't mind saying that I've never acted as a teacher before. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Judging by what Big Brother's told me, when they were young, Mrs. Curtis just let them attack her however they wanted and they learned that way."

_Geez, that lady's tough in more than one way! Beating up kids just to give them experience? It might be easier for me to hit a woman! And I don't fight women._

The pair continued discussing it as they trekked back up the hill. Greed decided that there had to be a better way to teach Selim how to protect himself. A curriculum was too much, but he wanted something at least a tiny bit more concrete than "just fight and hope he improves".

Then again, "just fight" was the only style he knew, and he'd be doing just as much learning as Selim, since he'd be working without his Ultimate Shield.

Knowing that he could be hurt – and permanently – was sure to put a damper on his style!

* * *

They came back in time to interrupt Lust and Envy in what sounded like a heated, if whispered, discussion in the dining room.

"-don't care. She was insulting me, Lust! You saw the look on her face; she was pitying me!"

"Stop being so sensitive. She didn't even know it was you."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Besides, even you have to admit you were rather ug-"

"Don't you dare say it, Lust," Envy warned her.

"-weren't the most attractive of creatures," she corrected herself quickly.

"What are you two talking about?" Selim demanded as he entered the room. Greed chose to remain standing in the doorway rather than get involved.

"Nothing important, Pride," Lust responded crisply while Envy looked past Selim to give Greed a glare. His right eye now sported a dark bruise which likely would have been much more impressive if Ms. Bradley hadn't acted as quickly as she had with the cream and ice. It gave him an unbalanced look, but added a lot to his scowl.

For a moment, the dark-haired child stood straight and haughty, staring at them as if he could intimidate them into admitting their topic of discussion, but when that failed, he gave it up in favour of being direct.

"What happened last night was an accident, Envy. You should know that Mother didn't mean anything by it." Envy didn't reply. "Besides, that's not your body anymore. You don't need to be insulted on its behalf." Still no answer. Selim sighed. "Where is Mother?" he asked them.

Lust responded with a lazy wave toward the kitchen and the kid left them to join his mother and Gluttony, but not before calling over his shoulder, "Someone needs to get Sloth up before breakfast."

"I did it yesterday," Greed said, coming in and pulling up a chair.

"So?" Envy snorted. "I'm not doing it."

Greed turned to Lust. Far from volunteer, she gave him a sultry look and affected an indignant air.

"Why, Greed, you aren't asking a lady to do the chores for you, are you? What a rude thing for a man to do!"

"Hey, hey! You don't think I'm dumb enough to fall for your type of trick, do you?"

She replaced sultry with injured.

"'My type of trick'? Whatever are you implying, Greed? That I use my beauty to manipulate men for my own purposes?"

"Uh, _duh_!"

She kept the injured pout for a few seconds, then the both of them laughed. Greed couldn't remember anything about his sister, but he instinctively knew the truth of his words. The sin of Lust would definitely use whatever charms were at its disposal to get its way. The only worrisome thing was whether or not his sister had used such techniques on him before and whether he had in fact fallen for them. It would be quite the disgrace for the sin of Greed to pander to someone else's desires rather than its own.

Envy clearly didn't like to be left out of the joke, so he returned to the previous topic.

"If that woman finds out too much about us, it's going to be your fault, Greed!"

"Yeah?" Greed drawled, choosing to avoid Envy's eyes because the bruise was more than a little distracting. "And how do you figure that?"

"You started it," Envy hissed. "You're the one who drew that picture."

"And you're the one who has to get over it," Greed replied. "Besides, I don't have anything to hide. What do I care if she finds out too much about us? I was the good guy, remember?"

Envy scoffed. "_'Good guy'_? You were only looking out for yourself, you selfish bastard!"

"So what's your point? What difference does it make if I was doing it for myself? The reason doesn't matter."

"Of course it does- Where are you going?"

"You're boring me and it's too early in the morning for this," Greed answered as he stood up and headed for the door. "Look, if you're so upset about what the kid said about there being no plan, don't take it out on me."

Both Envy and Lust looked surprised to hear that he knew about that, but he left before they could say anything. Maybe he woke up early, but that didn't mean he was a morning person; waking Sloth up was far preferable to listening to Envy's whiny voice.

And Lust's sultriness had nothing to do with it!

* * *

Greed had figured out the trick to getting Sloth up before running away from the Homunculi, and once he knew it, the trick was sadly simple.

First, Sloth usually refused to respond if he didn't hear his name.

Maybe it was an excuse of some kind. The giant man could pretend that instructions to "Wake up!" or "Move your lazy ass!" or "If I set your hair on fire, will _that _get you up?!" weren't meant for him if the speaker didn't add his name first. It could reasonably be claimed that they were talking to someone else, after all, not him.

The second trick was to mention Pride's name.

Greed didn't know the history between the two. All he knew was that Pride had been the one responsible for overseeing the creation of the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. Sloth really wasn't smart enough to be left without supervision; he'd needed more… _immediate_ motivation than just Father's orders and since Father had had to remain in Central, Pride had been put in Father's place to direct the digging. Greed couldn't know for sure, but he doubted his eldest brother's form of motivation had been pleasant. After seeing Gluttony's punishment, Greed supposed it was entirely possible that every break Sloth took cost him some lives from Pride's shadows later.

Even knowing those two tricks, Greed was pretty sure that it was easier to get Sloth up now than it had been before.

He gave a few sharp raps on Sloth's door, then entered the room without reservation. The curtains were open (hardly a surprise; Sloth was too lazy to close them at night), the clothes Alphonse had made were still in the neat pile on the desk that he had laid them out in, and Sloth was lying on the bed, still dressed in the clothes from the day before. He was facedown, limp black hair forming a messy curtain around his face, his head tilted slightly to one side so that he could breathe and an ample puddle of drool on his pillow.

"Hey, Sloth," Greed said rather loudly, going over to poke the huge man's shoulder. "Pride says it's time for breakfast. Time to get up, Big Guy."

Before, it would have taken a few tries to get a response, but now, Sloth stirred with just that one call.

Of course, he didn't wake up right away. He groaned and yawned and scratched and rubbed at his eyes, blinking dully at Greed as if trying to remember who he was and why he was disturbing him.

Greed repeated his words. "Sloth, Pride says it's time to get up. Breakfast is ready." That was a lie, but by the time Sloth came downstairs, it would be true.

Greed waited until his brother actually stood up before leaving him, and as he headed back downstairs, he wondered if Sloth would think to change his clothes before coming down as well. If he wasn't ordered to, he probably wouldn't, but Greed was more worried that the giant man didn't know _how _to change his clothes. He couldn't remember how Sloth had gotten into his new outfit and whether he'd needed help doing it. He didn't care how many sultry looks Lust gave him, he was _not _helping his brother get dressed and that was that!

When he entered the dining room again, he saw that Gluttony and Ms. Bradley were just in the process of bringing out the food and that Selim was being somewhat heckled by Envy while Lust silently observed.

"-didn't need to tell him, Pride!" Envy was saying.

"There was no reason not to," Selim replied peevishly, "and we're not talking about this now. It can wait until later." He darted a worried peek at his mother, who seemed to be aiming for sedate but wasn't quite pulling it off. Her lips were pressed tightly together, emphasizing the wrinkles around her mouth, and her brow sported a few lines. It was becoming clear that she disliked conflict of any kind, which Greed found somewhat ironic considering her connection with the military.

Maybe her stress was showing because she had started to figure out that they weren't just going through a rough adjustment period; peace and harmony were foreign concepts in a household made up of Homunculi.

Greed slipped past them into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, mouth already watering as Ling's stomach protested against even that brief wait before returning to the table and heaping food on his plate.

Surprisingly, Sloth joined them only a few minutes later. _Still in the same clothes_, Greed noted absently. They ate in relative silence that was broken only when Greed got up to return to the kitchen and tend to the coffee maker.

"I've been wanting to ask for a while now," Ms. Bradley spoke up, "but why do you keep calling him that?"

"What? 'Pride'?" Envy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I call him that? It _is _his name."

The kid glared at Envy and then turned to his adopted mother reluctantly.

"Pride was my name from before," he explained as if the words were being dragged out of him. "Selim was an alias."

The old woman considered this for a moment, perhaps dredging through her memories to however long ago the kid had been adopted to see if she could remember the exact manner in which they'd been introduced, but Selim saw through that and corrected her without her even needing to speak.

"Not when we met," he said. "I adopted the name long before coming to live with you. But it doesn't matter anyway, Mother. I've told Envy to stop calling me that." At this he turned to the green-haired troublemaker to give another glare of warning. Envy shrugged and put his hands behind his head without any hint of an apology.

Selim probably thought the matter closed, but Greed saw another question form on Ms. Bradley's lips and internally grinned. It was just a habit of his to translate things into his own worldview of wants and desires. Ms. Bradley didn't want to rock the boat, but she also wanted answers; she had had one question answered and so would try for another.

He liked it. He liked seeing her go for what she wanted despite seeming, on first appearance, to be a frail and timid woman.

"Does it mean anything?" she asked curiously.

"My name? Of course not, Mother. It's just a name," Selim answered without looking up.

"Whaaat?" Envy drawled with that freakishly large grin spreading across his face. "You mean you didn't tell her? Pride, that's not like you! You're not usually so… _humble_."

Greed could see the trouble brewing and thought briefly about stepping in to shut Envy up, but then he thought that there was no harm in Ms. Bradley knowing what their names meant and he wasn't the least bit ashamed of his own title as Greed 'the Avaricious' and, in any event, he kind of wanted her to get her question answered (though she might regret it once she did; desire sometimes worked in a funny way like that).

"Envy…" Selim warned, but Envy ignored him.

"It means _arrogant_," he told her. "Pride the Arrogant." And then he waited, obviously hoping for her to be upset by this revelation.

Ms. Bradley disappointed him. Rather than being upset by the news, she looked like she didn't really understand what he meant. Selim, on the other hand, cringed in his seat as if embarrassed and glowered down at the tabletop.

"If you feel like running your mouth off so much, Envy, why don't you tell her what _your _name means?" he bit off at his younger brother.

His words immediately wiped the grin from Envy's face.

"Do they… Do your names all mean something?" Ms. Bradley asked uncertainly.

Greed couldn't help himself. He sauntered in from the kitchen with his coffee mug in hand, coming up to stand behind Envy's place at the table.

"Sure do!" he declared, placing a hand proudly on his chest. "Greed the Avaricious." He pointed down the table to the others in turn. "Sloth the Indolent." The big galoot didn't even blink. "Gluttony the Voracious." His tubby brother smiled. "Lust the Lascivious." His sister smirked and settled back in her chair, folding her arms in a way that emphasized her ample bosom. For a few seconds, Greed lost his train of thought, then, grinning, he leaned over, placing his arms on Envy's head and squashing him down in his seat. "And let's not forget little Envy the Jealous." Not surprisingly, Envy whirled around in his chair, growling at him to get off, and Greed let himself be pushed back rather than get into another scuffle so early in the morning. That, and he didn't need boiling coffee spilled all over himself.

The Missus clearly didn't know how to take this. She looked around the table at each of them in turn. Her lips moved silently and Greed easily read the way she was repeating their titles to herself, comparing what they meant with their personalities.

_Sloth the Indolent… _Well, that fit him perfectly, didn't it? _Gluttony the Voracious… _That explained his size and why most of his drawings had featured food. _Greed the Avaricious… _She hadn't seen a whole lot of that side of him yet, but given enough time, he was sure she would piece together why he held that title. _Envy the Jealous… _She merely looked puzzled at that one, for she didn't know Envy well enough yet to recognize the sin that was usually hidden beneath the surface of snide insults and sensitive ego. Truth be told, Greed wasn't too sure himself _what _Envy was jealous of, though he knew Envy must be jealous of _something_.

And lastly, Ms. Bradley looked at Lust.

_Lust the Lascivious… I mean, come on! Just look at her! _Greed thought.

"My dear," Ms. Bradley finally said, "that is hardly an appropriate name for a young woman."

Lust shrugged, unconcerned, and gave a small half-smile.

"It is the name I was born with," she replied simply.

Ms. Bradley didn't look satisfied, but there wasn't really any way to argue against a person's name, now was there?

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Envy and Greed's 'first' meeting_: They stripped this little detail from the anime, but in the manga, when Greed is born for the second time, Envy says, "Look who's back. Forgive me if your new form disgusts me, Greed," to which Greed replies, "You aren't much to look at yourself." (Remember that Envy was in his true form at the time.) Envy's response is to call Greed a bastard, so they don't exactly start off on a good foot.

_Homunculi's names_: This chapter may not make a lot of sense to those of you who only watched the dubbed version of the show. The Homunculi's names made sense to English speakers right away and we didn't need any extra evidence to show us which Homunculus represented which sin. Wrath and sloth are rather archaic and gluttony may have taken a moment to remember, but lust, greed, pride, and envy are all readily identifiable words that are used in everyday modern English. However, in the original version, the Homunculi had the same names _even while the viewers were Japanese_. Japanese people couldn't immediately identify what the Homunculi's names meant. Imagine that, in the English version, the Homunculi were called 'Ikari', 'Yokubou', Donyoku', 'Shitto', etc. We would need to wait and watch before knowing which sin they represented. You can see this difficulty in the translation in Episode 54: Mustang says, "Envy means jealousy. That's what your name means, right?" If the scene weren't so intense, we might think, "Duh! How can you be saying that as a question? Isn't it obvious?" But he was originally saying something more like, "_Shitto_ means jealousy, right?" and the question made sense. This is also why the Homunculi have their special titles: Lust the Lascivious, Greed the Avaricious, Sloth the Indolent, etc. In Japanese, they were translations for the viewers: _Shitto _the Jealous, _Ikari _the Furious, _Donyoku _the Avaricious. Since I watched the subbed version first, I act as the original did in not having other people immediately recognize that the Homunculi's names have meaning, even though Ms. Bradley really should know the words' meanings without them needing to be given to her.


	19. Emptiness

Number of words: 3,113

Published date: December 23, 2012

Began chapter: December 22, 2012

Finished chapter: December 23, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 19: Emptiness**

After breakfast, Ms. Bradley asked Pride to stay with her at the table in a serious tone that made Lust worry (though not unduly) that her brother was going to have to face another series of awkward questions. There was a part of her that was thankful for the efforts Pride had made for her – no, for all of them – and so she wanted him to have as little difficulty with his step-mother as possible.

On the other hand, she was still struggling to accept that he hadn't been tricking them or lying to them or plotting _something_, and her anger and disgust with the situation took away most of the sympathy or concern she otherwise might have had. Pride was the one who had put them into this position and he'd known what he was getting into, so it was only fair that he be the one who had to accept the consequences and figure out how to pacify Lily's curiosity.

With an ear open, she joined Gluttony in clearing the table, effecting the disinterested look she more often reserved for desperate men vying for her attention.

Admittedly, the look may have been a bit chillier than normal; Lust couldn't help but be a little irked by Lily's reaction to her name and title. 'Lust the Lascivious' had usually been a badge of honour, something for her to be proud of, and although it made sense that the old-fashioned woman would believe it inappropriate, Lust still disliked her negative response.

The old woman remained seated at the table, meek and mild, wrapped in her light pink shawl despite the season and smiling gently as Pride approached with the faintest hint of trepidation.

Forget her own name; it was completely out of character to see Pride – _Pride the Arrogant _ – looking embarrassed over his title. It was quite clear to Lust that he didn't want her to ask about his name.

"Yes, Mother?" he asked.

Ms. Bradley, Lust decided, was either very good at ignoring things she did not want to see or simply couldn't pick up on them. She gave no notice to her adopted son's reservation, instead smiling in what could only be described as foolishly light-hearted ignorance.

"You remember that Mason will be coming tomorrow?" she began.

Pride looked surprised at the unexpected topic, then frowned for a moment before lighting up in comprehension.

"Oh, that's right! Tomorrow is grocery day, isn't it? I forgot all about it."

Ms. Bradley nodded.

"I'd like to call him later today," she said, "but I'm not sure what I should say. We already increased our order last month and so we have a bit of extra food stored away, but I know we're going to need a lot more. There's no way I can ask him to bring more while claiming that it's still just the two of us. And unless we ask everyone to hide when he comes, he's going to see that we're not the only ones here anymore…"

"Hmm, that's a good point," Pride murmured thoughtfully.

"I just wanted to check with you on what's the best thing to say before calling him."

The oldest Homunculus sat down in the chair beside her, kicking his legs idly as he propped his chin in his hands, his face now quite serious as he considered the problem. To hear better, Lust gave up pretending to gather the dishes – Gluttony was bringing the last few plates in even as she stood there – and paused in the doorway. The pair didn't notice her watching them.

"The people in Dublith think I'm your sister's son and that my 'real' mother and father died in an accident. So we can't say that everyone is related through her…" Pride reasoned out loud. "Did you ever say that you have other relatives?"

Lily shook her head.

"What about saying that you _only _had one sister? Have you ever said that you definitely don't have any other relatives?" he questioned.

The old woman frowned as she struggled to remember.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I've tried to avoid the topic, but it's hard. Others worry about the two of us being out here by ourselves. It doesn't come up much anymore, but people are still upset that I don't have any other family to stay here and look after us. But I can't remember if I said I didn't have any other family or if I just said I didn't have anyone who could come…"

"Try to remember," Pride said courteously but with just the tiniest bit of familiar bite that used to accompany his every order. "If you were never specific, we can claim that they're your relatives who have moved here to live with us."

"I think… I don't think I was ever specific," Lily said, though her faltering start made her assertion far from confident. Pride seemed dissatisfied with her answer.

"I suppose if anyone challenges you by claiming that you said otherwise, you can just pretend to not have any idea what they're talking about. People are quick to think they're mistaken about things when someone counters what they thought. If you say you've got other relatives, who are they to challenge you about it?"

Lily gave a small grimace and Lust suspected it had to do with being required to do more lying, but claiming that the Homunculi were her relatives made the most logical sense given the situation.

"But why would they have suddenly moved in with us…?" Pride continued, his legs stopping their kicking as he thought. Lily frowned too, but neither of them jumped at an idea, so Lust decided to interject herself into the conversation. It wasn't, after all, as if the topic had nothing to do with her.

"Why come up with a reason in the first place?" she asked from the doorway. The pair looked up at her, Pride quizzically and Lily somewhat befuddled.

"What do you mean, Lust?" he asked her.

She shook her head lightly, then stepped forward, high heels clicking on the hardwood floor.

"Rather than come up with a cover story, simply say that our reasons for coming here are personal and leave it at that," she elaborated, taking a seat across from them. "Lying will make you look uncomfortable-" This she said to Lily. "-so it's better to use that to your advantage, and no one will press you if you seem embarrassed. Gossip will spread and in a month or so, the citizens will have decided on a believable excuse for our being here without our having to do or say anything."

Lily looked impressed. Pride merely considered and then nodded, acquiescing that her idea was a good one.

"Should we say that you're from somewhere in Amestris, or would Aerugo or Creta be safer?" he asked, quite magnanimously considering he had rarely, if ever, asked for someone else's opinion when his ideas were always the best.

Lust thought about it for a moment, tapping her fingers lightly on her arm.

"Claiming to be from another country carries the risk of someone happening to have visited the same place and uncovering the lie," she rationalized. "Even claiming that we're from an Amestrian town carries some risk. It would be better to remain as vague as possible. You can say that we've moved around a lot and that we were out of the country for the past few years. That will explain why we've only showed up now, and you can just claim to not remember the names of the places we've been."

Lily looked slightly overwhelmed by the prospect of answering questions with such an unclear cover story in place and Lust didn't feel entirely happy leaving the lie in her hands, but Pride looked perfectly happy with it.

"It'll be fine, Mother. Mason probably won't even ask for details. You don't need to be worried."

"That's easy for you to say!" she exclaimed before sighing and rising from her seat. "But I guess it would be better to not put it off." She headed for the dining room entryway, then paused as if changing her mind. By way of explanation, she murmured something about making out a list of extra food before calling and then headed for the library, probably to find a pen and paper.

"Who is this Mason person?" Lust asked once Ms. Bradley was gone.

Pride shrugged, following his step-mother's example and rising from his chair.

"Just a regular man from Dublith. He works at Mrs. Curtis's shop. That's Big Brother and Teacher's teacher. They asked if he wouldn't mind delivering groceries for us and he was fine with it. I think he even refused to take payment for the delivery. Something about being happy to do us a favour, since the Elrics knew us and I'm their apprentice. And Mother being old and still taking care of a child at her age makes people want to help us when they can. Call it pity points."

Her brother looked conflicted for a moment, likely resenting even the suggestion of pity while forced to recognize its value to them at the same time.

"Greed said we would train after breakfast, so I'll see you later."

He gave her a short wave, then trotted off into the kitchen for the door to the backyard. She heard him say something to Gluttony, who was still in the room – it sounded like a suggestion – and a few moments later, her tubby brother came to the entryway, giving her a hopeful look.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Pride said you would help me?"

So the little brat thought he could offload his chores onto her? Gluttony hadn't minded helping Lily when she'd asked and he'd pretty much adopted it as a routine (help make the meals and help clean up after), but Lust was quite certain Pride had been responsible for doing the dishes before they'd come along and, whether or not it was fair, Lust didn't like the idea that he'd expect them to pitch in and share responsibilities now. That was not a part of the deal that she'd agreed upon!

Well, not that she'd agreed to anything or had any choice in the matter, but still!

On the other hand, it felt wrong to leave Gluttony to do something entirely on his own. He didn't like to be alone and he wasn't confident enough to do things without someone to guide him.

Trying not to sigh, Lust rose and followed him back into the kitchen.

"Remember," she spoke gently, "he wants us to call him 'Selim' now."

Gluttony blinked, then nodded.

"Sorry, Lust. I forgot," he said. "But I don't understand. Why does Pride want to be called that?"

How could she explain it? Gluttony had little understanding when it came to things even mildly metaphysical and so would have no ability to follow her explanation that Pride was no longer the same person, that a combination of his Stone being rendered soulless and his experiences in the years since their passing had caused their arrogant eldest brother to change. That he wanted to be called by a different name as a sign of his 'adopted humanity' also would make no sense to Gluttony, for he had never really embraced the reality that Homunculi and humans were two different species, with the Homunculi being superior. All Gluttony knew was that he wasn't to eat his siblings and that humans tasted good, but seeing them as individual species – and that Pride was trying to move from one to the other – was certainly beyond him.

Without being able to give the proper reasons, Lust fell on her old pattern of giving Gluttony a half-truth that would satisfy him without requiring a complicated or frustrating lecture.

"Ms. Bradley prefers for Pride to be called that," she told him, "so Pride uses the name 'Selim' to please her. It is like when Father told you not to eat someone; you wanted to eat them, but you didn't because Father didn't want you to."

It was a simple explanation and Gluttony accepted it without difficulty.

Lust had never handled any kind of household chores before, but the task didn't seem that complicated. There were the dishes stacked on the counter and there was the towel for drying them and there was the soap and she distinctly remembered Lily asking Pride which task he preferred, so she knew that one person washed and one person dried and put away. Simple, really.

She had no way to know which task was easier, but she figured that Gluttony knew where the dishes went, so it would be better to let him dry them and put them away. With that in mind, she approached the sink and experimented with the taps until the water's temperature was comfortable. Then, having no idea how much detergent to use, she gave the bottle a firm squeeze. In no time at all, the sink filled with bubbles and foam and a flowery scent that she couldn't identify but which was quite pleasant. And the hot water felt nice on her hands. Why had Pride loaded this off onto her? It was actually kind of enjoyable.

At first, they worked in silence. Lust discovered, once they got started, that the actual washing was more difficult than she'd thought. The dishes slipped out of her hands and she wished she had her Ultimate Spear for no more reason than that it would have given her a better grip. Food stuck and it took an inordinate effort to get it off. (Another thing her Ultimate Spear would have helped with!) Maybe next time, she'd take the drying instead.

But once she fell into the parody of a rhythm, her mind went back to the explanation she'd just given Gluttony.

When she thought about it, it seemed odd that being physically capable of satiety would have any effect on her food-loving younger brother. Gluttony had never been bothered by pesky little details like _edible _and _non-edible _before. In his book, everything was fair game. He had enjoyed eating so much, so why should suddenly being able to become full hinder him? There were plenty of humans who ate too much and didn't let it bother them, or at least didn't let it bother them enough to change their overindulgent habits.

"Gluttony?" she said suddenly. He looked up from the dish and towel in his hands. "Are you happy like this?"

He stared at her with his beady eyes and clearly didn't know what she meant.

"Like what?" he asked.

"We are human now," Lust said, elaborating the painful truth for him because it had only just occurred to her that he too had suffered a loss. "I no longer have my Ultimate Spear. Envy can no longer shape-shift. And you can no longer eat anything and everything you want. Are you happy this way? Or would you rather be the way you were before?"

It wasn't often that he was asked for his opinion and it took him some time to think about it.

"Always being hungry wasn't nice," he said eventually. "I didn't know that I could not be hungry. It's nice to not be hungry. But food doesn't taste as good anymore. I wish food still tasted as good."

_That's odd_, Lust thought. _Why would his sense of taste change? Taste was never one of his powers…_

"I didn't know that. Why didn't you mention it before?" she asked.

Gluttony would have twiddled his thumbs, but with his hands full, he could only look down with an abashed look.

"I didn't want to hurt Mother's feelings," he admitted. "and Pride said I can't eat humans anymore, but they were the tastiest…"

Lust knew that couldn't be the reason for the difference, but before she could figure it out on her own, Gluttony gave her the key.

"And I miss my nose," he continued.

It took her a moment to understand what he meant.

"You mean… your sense of smell?" she asked. He nodded and elaborated for her.

"I can't smell things anymore. I miss it. Especially you, Lust. You don't smell anymore. I can't smell you."

From any other person, those words would have been gravely offensive, but in this case, Lust knew that she was _not _being told that she smelled bad. Far from it. With his non-discerning tongue, no scents had been good or bad to Gluttony, but even so, he'd preferred his sister's scent above all others. Maybe there were subconscious reasons for it: He already had a preference for female flesh and she was the only woman in their group. Maybe he liked the smell of her Philosopher's Stone. Or maybe, considering it was just she and Envy he was most frequently with, she smelled more human than Envy's shape-shifted human disguise (which certainly couldn't fool Gluttony's nose), and so he'd been attracted to her because of the reminder of his favourite food.

The reasons ultimately didn't matter: Gluttony hadn't just lost his function as a failed Portal of Truth.

He had lost his enhanced sense of smell.

And there was the problem. The faculties of smell and taste were intricately linked. If a person couldn't smell, they also couldn't taste.

To go from being a bloodhound, able to smell one individual in a city full of people, to having the regular senses of a human, for Gluttony it was quite reasonable to feel like he'd lost his nose entirely. And before, perhaps his voraciousness had partly been a product of that nose. Perhaps food had really tasted much better to him than to the normal person.

How disgraceful that it had never occurred to her before!

Lust wasn't really sure how to respond to his assertion that he missed her scent, but sympathy was probably what Gluttony was hoping for and remembering that he'd had no one to comfort him upon her death, Lust focused on the acting that she'd used to manipulate men.

"I'm sorry that you can't smell me anymore," she said, injecting her voice with as much warmth as she could, "but I expect you'll find that, once you get used to it, you can still smell quite a lot. Not being hungry is better, right?"

Gluttony nodded and seemed quite reassured, happily returning his attention to the dishes.

And Lust spent the rest of the task realizing that her words had just scraped on being the sort of kind thing that a mother said to comfort her child.

She wanted to shudder, but the water in the sink was still too warm for it.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Ms. Bradley being 'ignorant' or 'insensitive'_: Notice how Ms. Bradley does not realize how uncomfortable the Elric brothers are when Wrath comes home while they're visiting her and Selim? Notice how she gives no notice to Hawkeye's fearful disbelief when she reveals that Selim is 'from King Bradley's side of the family'? Not to fault her as a character, but Ms. Bradley is not the most observant person if Wrath and Pride were able to trick her without giving any hint of suspicion. I just wanted to add this comment to support how I'm treating her character development.

_Dish detergent_: I looked it up and apparently dishwashing liquid was invented in the 1910s but wasn't in common use until the 1950s. The year in the story is 1921, but I don't care. I'm making Amestris historically divergent from the real world on this ONE point and giving them a 'historically slightly advanced' cleaning product.


	20. Transient Life

Number of words: 3,059

Published date: December 31, 2012

Began chapter: December 10, 2012

Finished chapter: December 31, 2012

* * *

**Chapter 20: Transient Life**

After making her call to Mason, Lily immediately went out to the garden for some much-needed stress relief.

Not that the call had been bad. Far from it. Mason had sounded as cheerful and friendly as ever, happily accepting the additions to her regular order and not being the least bit suspicious when she explained that she had some "relatives" visiting. Selim had, yet again, been right: There had been no need for her to worry over making up a good cover story. Mason would come by the next day, she would let the others know and ask that they help bring in the groceries rather than leaving the poor man to do it himself, and with any luck he would save the difficult questions for them, not her. Selim was bright and Lust had a keen intelligence about her (albeit a _dangerous _intelligence, Lily sensed). They wouldn't even hesitate in coming up with an appropriate lie, and she imagined that Greed and Envy might not be as fast but were both perfectly capable of coming up with lies on the spot as well.

She, on the other hand, was terrible at lying. It left her flustered and exhausted. She absolutely hated deceiving the military and the townsfolk. Even if she wasn't lying per se, just stretching the truth amounted to the same thing and if it weren't for Selim and the need to protect him, she would never have been able to pull it off.

But for her son, Ms. Bradley did her best.

That didn't mean she had to _like _it.

Working in the garden was one of her favourite pastimes – both productive and meditative – and Lily went out with the intention of losing herself in the flowers and weeding and pruning and tending that she loved so much.

Her intention, unfortunately, didn't take her very far, for she found that she couldn't put Selim's siblings and their names out of her mind.

_What kind of parents would give their children such odd names?_ she wondered.

And how had it turned out that their names, for the most part, fit?

No parent could know what their child would grow up to be like, so was it just a coincidence that Selim's siblings had grown to match their names? Had having such names moulded their personalities so that they grew to reflect them? Or had their parents waited until their personalities became evident before naming them?

It was all a bit too mysterious in her book.

The biggest concern was Selim's title:

_Pride the Arrogant._

Ms. Bradley didn't want to think of her son as being arrogant, but if the other names mostly fit, there had to be a reason behind Selim's name as well.

But he was a child. Children _couldn't _be arrogant.

… Could they?

She tried to think back to their lives from before, but nothing came to mind that offered any help. Selim had been smart, studious, cheerful, and well-mannered. The image of arrogant that she came up with was of a cold, haughty individual, someone who sneered down their noses and thought only of their own worth in comparison to others, and her son couldn't be farther from that image.

Or maybe she was just too close to him to see it. It was hard to see the faults in those one loved.

His interactions with his siblings, Lily feared, told a different story than the one she had believed up until little more than a week ago.

Had she not heard him speak crisply and curtly to Envy? Hadn't she heard him speak to Gluttony as if giving orders? Selim was perfectly capable of putting warning into his voice and the others responded as if the threat was quite real. Despite his size and appearance, they treated him respectfully. There had to be a reason for that beyond just his (she still couldn't believe how old he was!) age.

She could feel her body tensing. She suddenly noticed that her hands were shaking in amongst the flowers and her chest felt tight.

_It isn't good to be thinking about this_, she thought. _I'm just upsetting myself. _Purposefully, she took a slow, deep breath to calm herself, and then mentally resolved to put the whole issue aside and focus entirely on the task at hand, the task that she sincerely enjoyed.

_Smell the flowers. Pull up any weeds. Remove any broken stems. Look for signs of disease or rot. Remove slugs and other pests. Note which ones need water._

That was it. Just focus on the flowers. They smelled nice and looked pretty and there was no reason for her to worry over anything involving her son or his family. She trusted him and she wasn't in any danger and even if their names _were_ odd, in the end it didn't really matter.

She still felt like she was missing something, though. Something obvious. Something important. Something that maybe Greed or Gluttony had said…

"Eww, gross! What did I just step on?"

She turned from her place on her hands and knees in front of the bed of dahlias at the disruptive outburst to see Envy perform a graceless hop-skip, arms wind-milling briefly to keep from toppling over while trying to look at the bottom of his foot at the same time.

"Damn slug," he muttered once he caught his balance. He seemed to take particular relish in scraping his foot back and forth on the grass a few times before noticing her and strolling over.

Ms. Bradley wisely refrained from pointing out that he wouldn't have stepped on it if he'd been wearing shoes. She knew that Alphonse had made him some proper clothes and she would much have preferred to see him wearing those, but it _was _summer. Lots of people went barefoot in the summer. She had to pick her battles; getting him into pants or a proper shirt to cover up his bare skin (and she had no idea yet how to go about accomplishing that feat!) trumped getting him to wear shoes. Even if she found going barefoot to be wholly uncivilized. Not even the Ishvalans went so far as to go shoeless. _Not_ that she had anything against them, but she couldn't call living in tents and buildings made of sand and refusing to use sensible things like electricity and alchemy to be the practices of a _civilized_ people, now could she? and even they didn't run around with bare feet like some sort of primitive!

Did he want her for something, or was he just bored?

"How is your eye?" she asked politely once he approached.

Immediately, he took it the wrong way.

"Don't make fun of me," he snapped, hand rising to press against his cheek self-consciously.

"I- I wasn't making fun… I was just asking…" she murmured meekly.

For some reason, he seemed stumped by the idea that she was asking after his well-being. Stumped, and perhaps a little bit uncomfortable.

"Oh…" he said. "… Fine then, I guess. It still hurts if I touch it."

She nodded reasonably. "Hmm, well, that's to be expected. I'm sure it will go away in a few days."

"Geez…" he muttered under his breath, still poking at his face and wincing slightly.

She looked up at him curiously. "Have you never had a bruise before?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm what you'd call a 'quick healer'." He emphasized the phrase as if making a joke and gave a brief chuckle, then added, "Or at least before…" He didn't finish the thought, words trailing off somewhat wistfully and brow furrowing grimly.

She allowed him a few moments of reminiscing, then asked, "Did you want me for something…?"

He placed his hands on his hips and looked down at her with a mix of disbelief and pity.

"What would I want _you_ for?" he sneered, shaking his head with no little condescension. He jerked his chin back towards the corner of the mansion. "Greed and Pride- Oh, _sorry_, I mean _Selim_-" The sarcasm in his tone clearly indicated that he was not in the least bit sorry for the slip in name. "-are fighting, and that was fun to watch for a bit, but-"

Ms. Bradley didn't like to interrupt, but she couldn't help herself.

"What do you mean, they're fighting?" she asked with a hint of panic.

Envy only sniffed derisively at her concern.

"_Play _fighting," he clarified. "Training. Whatever you want to call it. You were there when they were talking about it, so you shouldn't be surprised. Unless you're going senile in your old age." He gave her a mocking smile. "How old are you anyway? By the looks of it, you must be pushing a hundred by now, huh?"

For a second, her breeding in polite society fell away, replaced by a glint of temper. It was only knowing that matching Envy's rudeness with her own rude reply would be counterproductive that caused her to bite her tongue and take a deep, calming breath before re-adopting her mildly polite bearing.

"I'm not quite _that _old yet," she corrected calmly, if just a tad crisply.

Envy shrugged carelessly. Obviously the question didn't matter to him as much as getting a rise out of her, and he continued with what he'd been saying without bothering to let her reveal her true age.

It only occurred to Ms. Bradley later that, if he really was the age he claimed to be, maybe Envy had only half been trying to antagonize her. Maybe he wasn't really able to judge a human's age and half of the question had been honest ignorance.

"Watching those two fight is only interesting for so long. Gets repetitive after a while. Besides that, it's a waste of time. Who's gonna' pick a fight with a kid anyway?"

The question was clearly rhetorical, so Ms. Bradley didn't comment, instead waiting for Envy to continue speaking. But he didn't, and after a few moments of silence, she suggested, "If you're bored, you could always help me."

He snorted incredulously.

"So not only are you a human, but you're also an optimist? Why would I waste my time on something like _flowers_, huh?"

She sighed and turned back to her work without replying. If he was going to insist on being rude, then she just wouldn't answer him.

Rather than being put off by her silence, Envy remained where he stood. Lily was able to watch him from the corner of her eye and, as she had first thought, he definitely seemed bored. He watched her without offering to help, but he also stayed out of her way at the same time, his eyes following the movement of her hands among the flowers as she worked.

Without paying her any direct attention, he wasn't nearly so unnerving. Or maybe she was just becoming used to him. His eyes, still sharp and that startling and unnatural reddish-purple colour, hardly seemed cruel when he was just standing there. And without his wide, eerie grin, he didn't feel dangerous to her at all. If anything, he seemed somewhat melancholic and listless. He didn't know what to do with himself and that was an unpleasant feeling for anyone. Briefly, she felt a tinge of pity for him before reminding herself that he had no excuse for being bored when she'd just offered him something to do and he'd rejected it.

After a few minutes of being watched, Ms. Bradley used stiffness as an excuse to move out from under her son's brother's eyes.

Maybe he wasn't being threatening, but she certainly found it uncomfortable to have him watching her the way he was!

She stood up to stretch, her back and joints cracking and popping in protest. King had sometimes grumbled over growing old and, coming from him, that had always seemed a fine joke to her; her husband had had the strength and stamina of men half his age and, rather than being grateful for his good health, he had begrudged the fact that he could no longer pull off those victories without some accompanying aches and pains. His mastery of his body had always astounded her; she, on the other hand, felt the passage of time more and more acutely. Yes, she wasn't a hundred yet and maybe she had another forty years ahead of her, but age and stiffness waited for no one.

Backing up a few steps, Lily studied the effects of her labour. She had affixed one of the plants back to its post, for it had somehow freed itself and the weight of the flower had been pushing the plant dangerously close to breaking at the stem. She had plucked off a few dead leaves, making the entire bed look greener. It wasn't really necessary, but she had also removed some stray debris from around the plants' bases, making them appear tidier. In her opinion, that made the garden look nicer, and it was easier to see and pick weeds if they weren't hidden under other detritus.

Envy watched her satisfied nod and, to her surprise, returned to his last comment with honest curiosity, "Why _do _you waste your time on flowers?"

"What do you mean?" she asked as she turned around and headed for the mansion and the bench for a rest.

Envy trotted lightly beside her and gestured towards the garden. "Well, it kind of makes sense to waste your time on vegetables. I mean, humans gotta' eat, so there's some practical value there. But _flowers_? You don't eat flowers, so there's no good reason to spend any time growing them. It doesn't make sense. _Not _that humans ever make a lot of sense."

Somewhat coyly, Ms. Bradley countered, "If you answer a question for me, I'll tell you."

"Oh?" He sounded intrigued and a bit amused by the idea of a trade.

They reached the side of the mansion and, with a soft sigh, Ms. Bradley settled onto the bench, making sure to leave enough room for Envy to join her, though he studiously ignored the small pat she gave the seat beside her.

"Why does Selim have the name 'Pride'?"

He glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow in surprise, grinned and opened his mouth to reply, and then hesitated, seemingly reconsidering what he'd been about to say. Absently, his hand rose to press against his bruised cheek again.

"Pride was pretty clear about not wanting us to tell you about it. I've been pushing my luck with him as it is. Besides, if I was to really explain it, you'd be completely lost. Wasn't the explanation you got before good enough?"

"Well, Greed said that your names all mean something, but I don't understand why the meanings are necessary. Selim isn't really all that arrogant, is he?" she asked innocently.

Envy actually laughed at that.

"Like I said," he said, "you're just a dumb, ignorant human, so of course you'd think that! Pride is _plenty _arrogant, but he wouldn't show _you _that! Trust me, the name fits him." And he continued to chuckle to himself, over the way she'd been tricked or over her ignorance in general, Ms. Bradley couldn't tell.

This 'humans-as-lesser-beings' theme that he seemed to find so amusing was starting to annoy her.

"Then how does 'jealous' fit you?" she asked in the hope of taking him down a notch.

As she'd intended, Envy's amusement cut off mid-chuckle, much as it had earlier that morning, and the dark scowl that crossed his face made Lily wonder if she hadn't made a poor decision in saying what she had. His hands clenched into fists at his side and his cheeks and lips pinched angrily. But his frown, rather than being directed at her, seemed focused on some thing or memory that she couldn't see.

He snapped out of it quickly, though, and the rapidity with which he replaced the frown with haughty self-possession was far scarier than the frown by itself.

"'Jealous' fits me," he explained in a disinterested tone, "because I make everyone else jealous of me."

This was surely a lie, but Ms. Bradley knew it would be far too rude (and probably dangerous) to call him out on it, so she merely hummed in acknowledgement.

"Well?" he griped after a moment. "This was a trade, wasn't it? Aren't you going to uphold your part of the bargain?"

Lily had almost forgotten that he had asked a question first and it took her a second to recall what it had been.

"Maybe there isn't any practical use in growing flowers," she acknowledged, "but they're very pretty, don't you think?"

The look he gave her was part dumbfounded, part amazed.

"Pretty?" he repeated in disbelief. "_Pretty? _Are you being stupid on purpose? Who cares if they're pretty or not! You'd waste so much effort for such a stupid reason? You know they're just going to die when winter comes anyway. There's no point!"

Sedately, Ms. Bradley ignored the outburst.

"It's true," she deferred gently, "they don't last very long and they don't serve any practical purpose. But I like doing it. And…"

She paused for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face, looking out over the garden and seeing, with great pleasure, the vibrant colours of the flowers and the swaying green leaves and the flittering butterflies and bees; hearing the birdsong in the trees and the quiet babbling of the fountain; smelling the tantalizing scent of roses and soil and grass and a million other things.

"… There's something nice about nurturing life. Maybe the flowers will die in a short while, but I won't be around forever either. As long as I get to enjoy life, it's only right to help other things live as well, don't you think?"

She heard Envy's feet shift in the grass and when she turned to look at him, he had already started to walk away.

"If you'll excuse me," he called cordially over his shoulder, "I'm just going to find a particularly nice flowerbed to be sick in."

_If there's one thing to be said about Selim's rude and inappropriately dressed brother_, Ms. Bradley thought with a sigh, _it's that he certainly knows how to ruin a moment!_


	21. No Answer

Number of words: 990

Published date: January 1, 2013

Began chapter: January 1, 2013

Finished chapter: January 1, 2013

* * *

**Chapter 21: No Answer**

The phone rang.

At first Envy just ignored it. It was impossible that anybody would be calling for him, so why should he have to be the one to answer it? Undoubtedly it was for Pride's 'mother' and once he answered, he'd then have to go and track the fool woman down and that was just far too considerate a thing for him to do.

But when no one else came running to answer it and the caller still hadn't given up by the sixth ring, Envy shrugged, reached out, grabbed the receiver and brought it up to his ear.

"Yeah?" he said testily into the mouthpiece.

There was a long pause from the other side of the line and when the caller finally spoke, his voice was ripe with exasperation.

"Couldn't you at least try," Ed asked, "to answer with a traditional greeting? You know, something halfway pleasant, like 'Hello' or 'Good morning' or 'Bradley residence, Envy speaking'?"

Envy could barely keep from snorting into the phone, for Ed, with his last suggestion, had modified his voice just enough to tell the shape-shifter that he had been trying to mimic Envy's speech. The attempt was the most pathetic thing he'd ever heard.

"Surely you didn't call just to lecture me about phone etiquette?" he drawled, twirling the phone cord around his fingers absently.

Through the line, Envy heard Ed sigh and imagined that the young man was also shaking his head.

"No, I wanted to talk to Ms. Bradley. Is she available?"

The tone in Ed's voice said he was struggling to be polite, which only reminded Envy that the pipsqueak he'd known had grown up in more than one way. Although it wasn't the wisest thing to want to do, Envy felt a strong desire to be difficult just to have the small fry go off on one of his tantrums. Ah, it didn't feel like very much time had passed at all and yet how he missed the good old days of riling the kid up just for fun! There couldn't be any harm in it if the Elric brother wasn't even there to trip him up again, right?

"What do you want to talk to her for?" he asked rather than answering the question.

He could practically hear Ed grind his teeth. "That's none of your business. Will you get her for me or not?"

Envy knew very well that Ed couldn't see his movements, but he moved over to lean nonchalantly against the wall and grinned into the mouthpiece all the same.

"It sounds to me," he said, "like you're just calling to check and make sure we haven't killed her yet. Am I right?"

In his imagination, he saw Ed wince at the mistrust inherent in the question.

"… Something like that," the young man admitted. "I'm sure nothing has happened, but call it reassurance if you want."

"I shouldn't need to remind you that if I had my powers back, it'd be simple for me to pretend to go get her and then just use her voice to trick you into thinking she was still alive."

The pause this time was longer and Envy relished the suspense, picturing a delicious look of horror on the former alchemist's face as he considering the possibility of his words being true. When he answered, though, his response was more than disappointing.

"… Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but if I were in your shoes – or not, as the case happens to be – I'd be trying to convince me that Ms. Bradley is fine, _not _the other way around. Do you _want _me to start worrying about her and come to check up on all of you?"

_Oh_, Envy realized belatedly. _That's a good point._

"… But at least I know now that I don't need to be too concerned," Ed continued.

"Huh?"

"Well, if that were true, even you can't be stupid enough to give yourself away like that. You'd trick me by doing what you just said you'd do rather than telling me about it."

Envy had nothing to say to that, despite how much the insult rankled.

Foiled by an alchemist's logic. Twice in a row. That did not translate to a cooperative Homunculus.

"I guess you caught me," Envy replied smoothly, lacing his voice with honey and smiling for all he was worth. Apparently people could hear it when you smiled on the phone. "I was just joking. Of course she's fine, and we're all doing dandy over here. Nothing but gratitude and love and hugs and all that cozy human stuff. You want to talk to her? I'll be more than happy to get her for you. Just stay on the line for a sec'."

Without waiting for a response, Envy put the receiver down on the table.

And then, without another thought, he wandered off to do everything he could think of _besides _finding Pride's mother.

_Ed thinks he can make fun of me and get away with it? Ha! I'll leave him waiting on that phone _forever _and even if he hangs up, he won't be able to call back. I wonder how long he'll wait before realizing that it's useless. Too bad I can't listen in and see how long it takes him to give up!_

* * *

He was more than a little annoyed when Pride knocked on his door a mere ten minutes later to ask if he'd been the one responsible for leaving the phone off the hook. He'd been hoping for a better time than that.

At least there was one positive change to Pride being powerless.

For some inexplicable reason, his eldest brother believed him without reservation when he put the blame on Ms. Bradley, suggesting that she must be the culprit because she'd been the last to use it.

Pride being gullible was definitely something he could get used to!

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Two chapters in one week_: Yippee, right? Well, I figure that posting two short chapters should count the same as posting one medium-sized chapter. This is officially the shortest chapter I've posted so far. And it won't be the last! I warned in the beginning that chapter lengths would vary considerably and I meant it. There should be some longer chapters in the near future, so please be patient.


	22. Beyond the Walls

Number of words: 4,603

Published date: January 13, 2013

Began chapter: January 7, 2013

Finished chapter: January 13, 2013

* * *

**Chapter 22: Beyond the Walls**

With a yell, Selim threw himself at Greed, reminding the youngest Homunculus (in terms of memories, at least) of nothing more than a small, dark animal lunging from its trapped corner in the hopes of getting one more bite in before meeting its end.

With little concern, Greed braced his back leg, twisted, and snatched Selim out of the air, adding to the boy's own momentum and sending him roughly to the ground, sprawled on his back with a little gasped 'oomph'.

"Come on," Greed growled, turning and crossing his arms over his chest impatiently. "I told you you'd have to think of something else. You don't have a chance coming at me directly."

Selim lifted his head to glare at his brother indignantly, but they'd been going at it for a while now and the kid was obviously starting to tire. He stayed on the ground, taking a moment to catch his breath.

When they'd first started training, it had taken some time to get into the rhythm of what he was supposed to do. Fight a child? How was a person supposed to fight against a _child_? It was awkward and uncomfortable because he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do, but apparently the Elric brothers had already laid out what they expected, for Selim told him that their lessons involved him attacking his teachers and they in turn deflecting his attacks. This, it turned out, had been the training method of _their _teacher, the one who had preached that '_to train the mind, you must first train the body_.' Greed remembered the woman… or at least he remembered a trim waist and nice chest and he was pretty sure she'd had dark hair, but could he really be blamed for having more important things on his mind (God's power in dear old Daddy's possession, the thing he wanted so badly just within his reach) at the time?

So her training method was what they used. Simple and unstructured, Selim attacked and Greed deflected and in no time at all, he got used to it.

In fact, more than got used to it. Greed kind of enjoyed the training bouts, for there was something incredibly satisfying in taking Pride the Arrogant down a few notches. Okay, so yes, Selim had given him a second chance by bringing him back. And yes, there had also been that apology on the first morning for trying to kill Greed and his friends. It wasn't really fair for him to hold a grudge. Even so, putting Selim in his place when the boy didn't have any powers was an undeniable treat.

Speaking of which, Greed's concern over not having his powers affecting his fighting style turned out to be a non-issue. Not only because Selim could hardly be expected to hurt him. It seemed that Ling had rubbed off on him in more ways than just a Gluttony-size appetite, for Ling's martial arts style – a patient, fluid blend of attack and defend – snuck up on Greed, tempering his preferred method of diving in without any thought to the possibility of being hurt. He waited. He watched. And when the moment was right, he acted with whatever move expended the least energy for the greatest result.

Selim still hadn't gotten up. Greed, deciding to be nice by giving the kid another minute to recover, turned slightly to look up at the mansion.

Envy, he saw, was watching them from the balcony.

Greed smirked up at him. Was his little brother jealous that Greed was getting the chance to beat up on Pride and he wasn't? Was he envious of Greed's fighting skills? Or was he just bitter at being left out of the fun? They had told him he could join in – surely Envy wasn't so skilled that Greed would have to exert himself, for Ling had recounted their fight in the forest and his partner had had a fair degree of disdain for the shape-shifter's fighting ability – but Envy had rejected the very notion that he had anything to learn, scoffing and slinking off as if the invitation had insulted him.

It was a bit of a shame. Envy was the only one who could at least give Greed a bit of a workout. Gluttony was out of the question. Sloth would be like fighting a rock. And Lust was a woman, so she was out of the question too. He didn't fight women.

As if the thought had summoned her, his older sister joined Envy on the balcony, leaning casually on the railing and sending a smoky smile down at him. He grinned in return and opened his mouth to call up to her, but Lust suddenly straightened and stared down curiously at something past his shoulder. He watched her lips move and her elbow jab into Envy's side and, darting an annoyed glare at his sister, Envy perked up beside her at the rail, both of their gazes now fixed on the same point in anticipation of…

_What? _Greed wondered. _What do they find so interesting?_

Confused, he started to turn around to find out what had caught their attention, but before he could complete the turn, a fist of stone rose up from the ground and slammed into his gut.

Breath left him in a whoosh and he gasped and coughed and fell to his knees. From the balcony, he heard Envy cackling like he'd just killed someone and Lust giving a light titter at his expense. Through his watering eyes, he saw Selim standing and grinning at him, a simple transmutation circle etched into the dirt at his feet.

"How's that for thinking of something else?" the brat asked triumphantly.

Greed didn't answer, still trying to catch his breath. _Damn_, he thought, _I forgot all about the kid being able to do alchemy. He must've drawn it when I wasn't looking. Crafty little-_

With a playful shout, Selim launched forward, tackling him and sending him the rest of the way to the ground.

"Admit it!" he said, pummelling Greed's head with his tiny fists. "Admit it, Greed! I beat you! I beat you! Say uncle!"

He couldn't help but give a wheezing laugh even though he was on the losing side. The kid had won and hadn't he already thought that dirty moves were completely acceptable if they let the kid protect himself.

"Okay. Okay already! Uncle. Uncle! Now get off of me!"

Recovered as far as his stomach was concerned, he started to get up and tried to pry Selim off his back, but the child apparently wanted to prolong his victory for as long as possible. He grabbed Greed's ponytail and stubbornly refused to let go. Yanking at the boy only pulled his hair and his frustration mounted when Selim decided to cover his eyes with his hands from behind Greed's head, his fistfuls of hair tickling Greed's face and nose.

The low, gravelly rumble of a vehicle making its way up the long driveway thankfully ended their struggle before it could escalate into something serious.

"Mason's here!" Selim exclaimed. He released his grip on Greed's hair and jumped down from his back, exuberantly running to the front door and yelling into the bowels of the mansion, "Mother! Mason's here!"

"You're not going to trick me like that a second time!" Greed called after the boy, but Selim paid him no mind, either not hearing or choosing to ignore him.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Greed moved over to stand on the front landing, grumbling in annoyance at the mess Selim had made of his ponytail. The Missus had warned them the night before about the visitor and, though he affected an air of nonchalance, Greed was actually looking forward to some contact with the outside world. He was sick and tired of only having the other Homunculi to talk to.

Ms. Bradley and Selim joined him on the steps just as the vehicle pulled up to the front of the mansion. It was rather plain, a dark green, with the words _CURTIS MEATS _stamped on the side in a blocky, simple font.

The man who stepped out of the car matched the lettering exactly.

"Mason!" Selim chirped in greeting.

"Hey there, squirt!" the man replied, grinning broadly down at the child. "How're you doing?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to greet Ms. Bradley, words tumbling from him in a rush. "Good morning, Ms. Bradley. I'm sorry I'm late; it took longer than I thought it would to get those extra things you asked for. Looks like you're doing well. How are things going way up here on the mountain?"

Ms. Bradley smiled and answered, "Everything is fine, Mason. Thank you so much for coming up. I hope it wasn't too much trouble-"

He quickly shook his head.

"Not at all, not at all. I keep telling you I don't mind. I couldn't leave Mrs. Curtis's pupils' apprentice and his mother to fend for themselves all alone up here, now could I!"

Mason turned then and without preamble stepped forward, grabbing Greed's hand and pumping it up and down enthusiastically, all while wearing a broad grin.

"And you must be one of the new residents Ms. Bradley mentioned! Nice to meet you! The name's Mason. I've got to tell you, I'm relieved to hear there's someone else up here now to keep an eye on things. We all worry about these two back in town."

With his arm being pumped off his shoulder, Greed didn't answer, instead stunned into silence by the man's immediate friendliness.

Mason wasn't especially tall, but he was definitely taller than Greed and he was built with a muscular stockiness that could have been threatening if the man weren't so busy smiling. The rest of his features were ordinary and unmemorable: short black hair, bushy eyebrows, and a round (but not soft) face. He wore a white headband around his forehead, but since his hair was so short, it was probably to keep sweat out of his eyes. Wristbands and a simple sleeveless top completed his image of being a person who worked with his body, not his mind.

"Sorry, but I didn't catch your name," Mason said, finally releasing Greed's arm.

"Greed," Greed managed, trying to shake his hand out without it being obvious. The man had a powerful grip!

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Ms. Bradley interrupted politely, but Mason shook his head.

"No, that's alright. Let's get this stuff unloaded first, work up a good sweat, and then we'll really appreciate it. Right?" he asked Greed with a grin and it was only then that Greed realized Ms. Bradley had promised the man that he'd have help in moving their delivery into the house. Looking past Mason's shoulder, Greed could see an impressive stack of boxes and crates taking up the back seat and passenger's side of the vehicle.

Ms. Bradley hesitated and then nodded. "I'll just leave you men to your work, then," she said, heading back inside.

"And I'll go get Sloth!" Selim declared, following after his mother. "He can help with the heavier stuff."

Mason didn't seem to mind being left alone with a virtual stranger. He opened the back doors of the car and explained the sorting method he'd used.

"The stuff in the back goes to the basement. Ms. Bradley just likes us to stack it at the bottom of the stairs; she'll sort it out later where she wants everything to go. And the stuff in the front seat is for the freezer, so we should move that first. I don't mind taking the heavier stuff, so just grab whatever you want."

Following his own words, the burly man heaved out one of the larger crates from the floor, lifted it onto his shoulder, and headed into the mansion. With a shrug, Greed pulled out a second smaller crate filled with packages wrapped in butcher's paper. Each package bore words scribbled in black pen; the top ones read '_pork'_,_ 'ground beef'_, and _'sirloin'_.

Any thoughts of not helping disappeared when he realized that Ms. Bradley had been careful to remember his favourite foods and had specifically moved to accommodate him. They hadn't had a lot of meat yet and Greed had found that disappointing, but now here was a whole crateful of the stuff! She must just not have had much meat in the house because it wasn't something she liked and now she was rectifying that.

Truth be told, he was a little touched by the thoughtfulness.

As he headed for the door, Greed glanced up at the balcony and wasn't at all surprised to see that Lust and Envy had vanished, though he wasn't sure if the reason was to avoid helping or to avoid interacting with a human. Either way, it was probably for the better.

Mason had obviously made deliveries many times before and was perfectly familiar and comfortable with the mansion, for he made a beeline for the basement stairs and didn't seem at all bothered by the lack of lights when he got to the bottom.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, looking around after placing his burden down. "Was Ms. Bradley doing some cleaning or something? It's a lot cleaner down here."

Stumbling at the observation, Greed did his best to fudge the truth without outright lying.

"I'm not sure," he said, placing his crate on the floor. "It was like this when we got here, except that everything was upstairs." Other than the fact that the floor had been covered with transmutation circles, it was true.

Mason didn't seem suspicious (nor was there any reason for him to be) but instead, he latched onto a different topic.

"Oh? How long have you been here?"

"Ah, not very long. A few weeks, maybe. I don't pay a lot of attention to dates and stuff," Greed said, beginning the climb back up the stairs. He knew very well that it hadn't been that long – they'd probably only been there for a week and a half at the most – but 'few' wasn't specific and people rounded numbers all the time.

"Where were you living before you came here?"

"Uh…" Damn! How was he supposed to answer? Neither Pride nor Ms. Bradley had told him of any story he had to stick to, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. And the truth – that they had been dead for six years before coming to live here – was not going to fly no matter how much he disliked lying. Wary that thinking about it for too long would be a dead giveaway, he responded with the first answer that came to mind. "We were… in Xing."

"Xing! Wow, what a coincidence. That's where my boss and his wife are right now," the man chatted without a hitch. "The closest I've ever been to the East is East City and that was years ago! What's it like? I've heard the food there is amazing. And the scenery! It's mostly mountains, isn't it? Whereabouts were you? Xing is huge, isn't it? I hear there are some places where it rains _all _the time and that there are other places so high up that it's hard to breathe. And then there's the Eastern Desert! You must have taken the train, right?"

The onslaught at least meant that Greed only had to answer the last question.

"Yeah, of course. Crossing that desert on foot would be crazy."

"Definitely," Mason laughed in agreement. "But you know, my boss did just that."

"What? Seriously?"

"It's true, I swear! Mrs. Curtis said she didn't want to get to Xing with dull reflexes, so she and Sig crossed the desert by foot."

"That's crazy!"

"Yeah, but they made it in one piece and compared to a month on Mount Briggs, she said it was like a walk at a picnic."

"Your boss is one tough customer, huh?"

The two men got a good laugh out of that.

When they got back outside to grab a second load, Selim and Sloth were waiting for them.

Mason's reaction to Sloth was expected. He paused in surprise at the huge man who towered over them all by a head and a half, but rather than fear, there was instant respect. Greed remembered Mrs. Curtis's husband even less than he remembered her, but he knew the man was large and well-muscled. This Mason obviously had some pride in his muscles as well, so naturally he took an immediate liking to the fellow strong-man even though Sloth, as per his nature, said nothing more than a monotonous "What a bother" when Mason introduced himself.

Being honest, Greed was somewhat surprised that Selim had managed to wrangle Sloth into helping, but then his surprise dwindled when he reminded himself that _Pride _had been the one asking for help and Pride was the one Sloth had had to obey. The hulking man probably didn't realize that he didn't _need _to obey his brother anymore.

* * *

The rest of the job was handled in innocuous and inane chit-chat. Since they could load Sloth down with twice as much as what one of them alone could handle, it didn't take long to empty the vehicle and, in no time at all, the four gathered in the kitchen with Ms. Bradley for the promised drinks.

Which turned out to _not _be the cold beer Greed had been hoping for.

_So much for being well rewarded_, he grumbled internally, leaning back in his chair, throwing his feet up on the kitchen table, and studiously avoiding the glances Ms. Bradley kept sending at his boots, trying to make him put his feet down without saying anything. He'd be willing to do what she wanted, but only if she wanted it badly enough to ask. If a person wasn't willing to express their desires, they didn't deserve to get them fulfilled. Which was the whole reason why he made it a point to not lie.

At first, the old woman and Mason talked business. Mason pulled out a list and read aloud from it and Ms. Bradley compared with her own list, confirming that he'd brought everything she had requested. And once that was out of the way, Mason happily filled them in on the latest gossip.

"Renovations to the community centre are almost finished. I heard a rumour that they're planning a big concert for its re-opening. I wouldn't be surprised if Selim gets asked to play something again. You know, people are still talking about how amazing he was at the spring festival."

Selim blushed and looked down at the table, affecting humility, but at the same time, he couldn't hide his pleasure at the praise. Ms. Bradley smiled at him proudly, but when Mason pressed, the boy merely responded, "I'll think about it."

"Are the Hartleys still having trouble?" Ms. Bradley asked.

"That depends on how you look at it. They've split up now and I think Susan moved in with her boyfriend."

"Young people these days," the old woman tsked under her breath. "How about Emily? Has she had her baby yet?"

"Oh yeah! I'm sorry; I should have mentioned it right away. That was just two days ago. They had a boy, but I don't think they've decided on a name yet…"

_I do not blame Envy and Lust one bit for sneaking off to avoid this_, Greed pondered, quickly growing bored. _I wonder if I can sneak off too… What would be a good excuse?_

It wouldn't be hard to simply say that he needed to go to the washroom, but that lacked imagination and he'd be expected to come back, so he continued trying to think of something better while idly watching Sloth across the table.

For the first time he could remember, he thought he saw a flicker of emotion on Sloth's face. The great behemoth was cradling his cup of lemonade in his huge hands, staring down into the liquid as if it held the secrets of the universe before lifting it for a drink. And, so small as to maybe just be a trick of the light, Greed thought he saw Sloth's lips tug up at the corners, as if he was beginning to smile.

_Wonder what that's about_, Greed thought, but he couldn't fathom what was going through Sloth's head. Either he just really liked the juice, or he was happy to have been rewarded for helping out, which wasn't something that had ever happened before. There had been no thanks for their tunnel-digger upon finishing the Nationwide Transmutation Circle. Could it be so simple that being thanked by Ms. Bradley made him feel appreciated?

"So, Greed, how are you and the Bradleys related?" Mason asked, snapping Greed out of his reverie.

"Huh? Oh, um, it's confusing," he floundered. "I'm no good at family trees."

Selim rescued him, but in such an insulting way that it didn't feel like being rescued.

"It's not confusing at all, Greed," the child chided. "Your mother was Mother's older sister, so Mother is your aunt and you're her nephew."

Maybe he could have followed it better if they hadn't been making up the entire connection, but to Greed, it still sounded confusing.

Mason also looked confused, but for different reasons.

"I thought Selim was your sister's son?" he asked.

"Yes, he is," Ms. Bradley confirmed. "My younger sister... Margaret." The slight hesitation gave away the fact that this was a lie, but Mason didn't seem to notice. "Greed and Sloth are my older sister's sons… Um, Ellen." It was even clearer this time that she was making up the name on the spot.

"I didn't know you had _two_ sisters. I thought you said you didn't have any living relatives after her."

Ms. Bradley began to blush in embarrassment.

"I- I can't have said that. I definitely had two sisters. If I said it, I must just not have been thinking clearly," she protested weakly.

Mason held up his hands in a soothing gesture.

"No, it's probably me. I'm just remembering wrong. I don't have the best memory for details like that." He turned to Greed again. "So what prompted this visit? How long are you staying here?"

Greed darted a glance at Selim, but his kid brother only gave a small shake of his head and, if there was some hidden hint in that, Greed didn't know what it was.

"Well, like I said, we were in Xing for a long time and it seemed like a good idea to come back to Amestris," Greed started. Selim was now widening his eyes and jerking his head in his mother's direction, and Greed tried again. "And when we heard that Auntie here was taking care of our nephew-"

"Cousin," Selim corrected.

"-our cousin," Greed continued with a grimace at the mistake, "all alone, it seemed like a good idea to stay for a while. Don't really know for how long."

He couldn't tell, but something about Selim's expression said he had scraped by, but just barely.

"You know," Mason said, "I'm curious: You didn't have any trouble getting back into the country?"

Selim's eyes widened in concern.

"Huh? What d'you mean?"

"You didn't have any problem at the borders?"

Greed hesitated. There was obviously something he was missing, something that he should have known about, but since he had no idea what it might be, he couldn't very well start making stuff up in the hopes of being right.

"No. Why?"

Mason seemed thrown off by the response, but at least he was too naïve to suspect that it was Greed who didn't know what he was talking about.

"I thought I'd heard that there was trouble with the rails. Trains are being attacked. The military's been tight-lipped about it and of course the Ishvalans aren't being chatty, so nobody really knows what's going on. You didn't notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"We must've just been lucky," Greed said weakly, sure now that he'd screwed up, but to his vast relief, Mason merely shrugged.

"Well, I guess that's just proof that you can't believe every rumour you hear, right?" The man laughed. After a moment, Greed joined in. Ms. Bradley tried to smile but only looked harried and stressed, and Selim's cute kid face held just enough bite to tell Greed that he was in for an earful later.

* * *

Mason finished his drink and in a profusion of thanks from Ms. Bradley for the delivery, they saw him off. True to his intuition, as soon as the vehicle disappeared through the trees, Selim turned to Greed with the haughty look of his former self.

"What_ever _possessed you to tell him you were from Xing?" he hissed at Greed angrily.

The Sin could only respond in defensive indignation, "What was I _supposed _to say, huh? The question came out of nowhere! I had to say something and Xing was the first thing that popped into my head, okay? Give me a break!"

"It's not okay! Xing is probably the _worst _answer you could have given! Mrs. Curtis is in Xing! People here know more about Xing than they do about Creta and Aerugo. It's entirely likely that you'll be asked something and someone will catch that you don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Well, I can't take it back now, can I?" he responded, exasperated. "It's not my fault; you should have warned me or something!"

"You were supposed to be smart enough to come up with a better answer! But you're right that it's my fault for overestimating you," the brat countered.

"Yeah, then I guess it _is _your fault, _Pride_."

Selim's mouth clicked shut at the name and, suddenly aware that Ms. Bradley was standing not too far away, he glanced at her guiltily and seemed to deflate somewhat.

"What I want to know," Greed said, changing the topic, "is what Mason was talking about. What did he mean, there's been trouble with the rails? You never told me about that."

Selim avoided his eyes and bit his lip, now clearly reluctant to answer.

"Well?" he demanded, growing annoyed.

The child sighed. "It's been in the newspapers. I don't really know much more than Mason. Nobody really knows what the problem is, but he's right: Trains have been attacked. It's a recent situation. The first attacks started about a month or two ago and travel to and from Xing has pretty much stopped."

"Then why were you keeping it from me? Why didn't Al tell me about it? That's kind of important to me, you know!"

"Yeah, I know," Selim said. "That's why we didn't tell you. We knew you'd get upset if you knew getting to Xing was going to be harder than you thought. Teacher probably said two months because he figured the problem would be solved by then."

"And if it's not?" Greed pressed.

Selim shrugged.

"That's up to Teacher," he said. "You promised you'd give him two months to figure it out. Don't worry. If worse comes to worst, there's always the desert."

That was pretty damn easy for the kid to say when it wasn't him who would be making the crossing!

But his older brother was right:

No reason to worry about it until the promised two months went by.

After all, he _had _promised. And even if he had to lie to protect his family, Greed didn't plan on doing any more of it than was absolutely necessary.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Mason_: I'm hoping everyone had their memories refreshed enough in this chapter to remember who Mason is. He's not an important canon character as far as canon characters go, so it's understandable if you couldn't remember him right away. He makes more of an appearance in the 2003 series rather than in Brotherhood, but in both he is Sig and Izumi's meat shop assistant. In this story, since Izumi and Sig are currently in Xing teaching alchemy to Xingese students, Mason is left in Dublith to hold down their business while they're away.


	23. What Lies Beneath

Number of words: 3,204

Published date: April 6, 2013

Began chapter: February 4, 2013

Finished chapter: April 6, 2013

* * *

**Chapter 23: What Lies Beneath**

It was a matter of some note that Greed was completely wrong when he'd assumed that Lust and Envy disappeared during Mason's visit because they wanted to avoid helping or interacting with a human.

Though his assumption might have been true normally, in actuality it had been the farthest thing from their minds.

Envy leaned on the balcony railing, watching the fight below him with only half a mind. It was true that the wiry Sin was not in a pleasant mood, for he disliked Greed far more than he did Pride and he would have preferred to see Greed taken down a notch rather than the other way around. On the same hand, watching Greed fight reminded him of the fight he'd had – and _lost_ – with that body's previous owner, the bratty prince kid from Xing. Envy knew Greed's fighting style and he was familiar with the Xingese kid's style; against the old Greed, Envy knew he at least stood a chance, for Greed had always favoured direct, aggressive tactics that emphasized his Ultimate Shield and didn't give a whole lot of attention to speed or agility. And Envy knew he'd had the old Greed beat when it came to moving quickly and lightly on his feet. Screw the fact that he couldn't do much about Greed's shield – it didn't matter if Greed couldn't hit him because he was too fast.

But _this _Greed was showing a different approach (though of course it was harder to observe when the fight was just for training); he'd lost his height and muscles and had replaced them with a body not all that different from Envy's own.

Envy absolutely hated that. He hated that Greed, whether his older brother could remember it or not, now shared the experience of having switched bodies – an experience that was _supposed _to be reserved for Envy alone, something special and unique all of his own. And he hated that the body he had taken such pains to design, making it as unique and different from his siblings as he could, now lost a bit of uniqueness with Greed's switch. Envy had gone with a shorter height because Greed and Lust had both been tall. He'd gone for long hair because Pride and Greed had had short hair and he'd made it straight because Lust's hair was wavy. He had chosen lean because Greed had been bulky and Lust had been padded in all the right places (much as he didn't really understand what that meant). Now Greed, like himself, was shorter, leaner, and had long straight hair.

Of course, it shouldn't have been a surprise, really. It was just like Greed to steal even intangible things for himself, taking away the little that Envy had hoarded as his own. And it didn't matter that Greed had done it unwittingly, nor that he'd had no real choice in the matter.

There was a lull in the fight. Pride had made a rather pathetic attempt to jump at his brother and Greed had effortlessly plucked him out of the air and thrown him down to the ground.

_How did that phrase go?_ Envy wondered vaguely to himself. _'Oh, how the mighty have fallen'? Why the hell is Pride putting up with this anyway? It's not like getting the snot beat out of him will do any good…_

Greed looked up at the balcony then, obviously giving their eldest brother a break.

The bastard smirked when he saw Envy watching.

Envy scowled in return and was momentarily surprised when Greed replied with a grin that was neither mocking nor cocky, but half-friendly. His surprise quickly dissolved, however, when Lust came up beside him, leaning on the rail and returning Greed's smile with a teasing one of her own. Obviously Greed hadn't been grinning at him at all then, but at their sister.

Envy could only roll his eyes at their playing footsies, but it was hardly new. Even right before he'd been boiled down and facing each other as enemies, Greed and Lust had flirted. And although it sometimes got on his nerves, most of the time Envy didn't think anything of it. Greed was a natural charmer and Lust, more than physical pleasure, loved being lusted _after_. It was an old game and neither of them honestly meant anything by it.

He was more interested in how Lust had managed to sneak up on him. The tell-tale click of her high heels was always a dead giveaway to her approach.

Furtively, Envy glanced down and couldn't help but smirk.

Maybe Lust didn't like the way her normal shoes echoed through the large mansion. Maybe the high heels were too warm in the summer heat. Maybe they were too painful to wear all the time without the Stone to do its healing – Envy didn't know since he'd only ever impersonated Lust for a substantial period of time once and that had been a disaster on such a scale that murder had been the only way to fix the date he'd botched. Maybe she saw no point when the only man around to entice was Greed.

Whatever the reason, Lust's feet were now clad in flat, open-toed sandals that of course matched her purple, Xingese-style dress.

Envy instantly wanted to make fun of her, though he wasn't quite sure how to go about it since he _always_ had bare feet and it was such a trivial thing to tease her about, but he didn't get the chance. Just as he was about to open his mouth, maybe to suggest that she get her toenails painted red (an inside joke that had involved her complaining about human blood getting under her fingernails and which had been funny mostly because of the circumstance in which she'd said it), Lust's elbow jabbed into his side.

"What?"

"You'll want to watch this," she said quietly, as if she didn't want the pair below to hear. "This will be good."

"Huh?"

He straightened from his bored slouch on the railing, following her gaze to see that Pride had recovered enough to sit up and was moving his hand in the dirt at his side in a circular motion.

_What is he…? Oh. Oh yeah! This _is _going to be good!_

Greed could read their eager expressions even from the balcony, but there wasn't enough time for him to do more than turn halfway around before Pride placed both hands on the finished transmutation circle.

The result was absolutely _beautiful_.

Greed took the stone fist straight in the gut and went down with a gasp and Pride gloated over him and Envy didn't catch much else of the exchange because he was laughing so hard that he couldn't see or hear anything. _Damn, that was the best thing ever! Maybe Pride'll give him a run for his money after all! Bastard deserves it!_

When Envy finally caught his breath, Greed and Pride had disappeared from view and he could just make out the low rumble of a vehicle coming up the driveway.

"Well, that was fun," he said, turning to his sister and still chuckling to himself. "What do you think? Should we stick around, watch and see what else happens? I wouldn't mind seeing Greed slave away carrying boxes. Or we could…"

He trailed off. She wasn't listening to him. Instead, Lust was staring at the transmuted hand of stone and Pride's sketched circle with one of her intense 'deep in thought so don't bug me' looks.

_What? What's so fascinating? _Envy wondered in confusion, switching his gaze from his sister to the ground and then back again. _It's just a transmutation circle. We've seen a million of them. It's nothing special._

And it was true. There was nothing special about the transmutation circle. The alchemy involved in transmuting earth was one of the simplest and easiest to learn, a beginner's move if there ever was one.

"Lust?" Envy prompted impatiently. "What? What is it?"

She spoke without looking at him, the words absent and meant more for herself than for him, her hand rising to tap against her lips thoughtfully.

"It always comes back to alchemy," she murmured pensively.

_Before, Father was the only one who could use alchemy_, she reflected._ There was no reason for us to learn it._ _Our powers surpassed most alchemists and, being immortal, there was no reason to study the science that brought us to life in the first place._

_But that's changed now. We don't have our powers anymore. Pride is learning alchemy and it is alchemy, once again, that has brought us back to life…_

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about, Lust?" Envy now couldn't help but let some snarkiness enter his voice, for out of the many things he hated, being ignored was high up on the list.

She blinked and snapped out of her thoughts, glancing down at him as if surprised to find him there.

"Use your head, Envy," she said irritably. "If anything is going to be the key, it's alchemy."

He growled at the slight. "The key to _what_? Lust, you're not making any sense."

With an irritated sigh, she whirled from the railing and started indoors, speaking over her shoulder as Envy struggled to keep up with her longer strides.

"Our existence has always depended on alchemy. If there is any possibility for us to return to what we were before, it will require alchemy."

"You mean like creating a new Stone? But Pride said-"

"Pride," she snapped, "is gone. Dead. Or hadn't you noticed?"

"He's not dea-" Envy immediately began to protest, but Lust cut him off mid-sentence with an imperious wave of her hand. By some miracle, her brother seemed to sense the purpose in his sister's stride and the magnitude of the topic and so held his tongue, bare feet padding lightly on the floor behind her.

Lust led the way past the second floor foyer, down the hall past Envy's bedroom and the washroom, and then drew to a halt at the top of the second floor stairwell as Pride's voice called, loud and excited, for Ms. Bradley from somewhere below them. Though his words weren't clear to the eavesdroppers, Pride was clearly calling his step-mother to the front door to greet their unwanted grocery-delivering houseguest.

As soon as the voices grew faint, Lust started down the steps. His sister held her head high and moved with even more self-possessive confidence than usual, but Envy still felt a distinct sneaking feeling about her. Perhaps half of that came from her lack of clicking heels, which made it seem as if she was walking quietly so as not to attract attention, but Envy got the impression that she didn't want the others to see where they were headed.

Which turned out to be the library, Envy discovered, when his sister entered the room and curtly ordered him to close the door behind them.

"So, do you mind telling me what you're going on about now, or am I still not allowed to talk?" he asked caustically, crossing his arms behind his head.

At his tone, Lust would usually have given him a sharp look at the very least, but she appeared so engrossed in what she was doing that she hadn't even heard him. She immediately moved to the bookshelf and began to rapidly scan the titles, her fingers playing along the spines as she hunted.

"You know, I could help if you'd tell me what we're looking for."

Lust sighed under her breath but at least deigned to speak this time.

"I'm looking for books on alchemy," she answered distractedly, still scanning the shelves, "but particularly introductory works. Pride probably still has his beginner's texts somewhere… Ah, this might be it."

She paused on the lower shelf and seized a few of the books, reading the top title even as she carried them the short distance to the desk and sat down.

"But why-"

"Think for yourself! I'm busy," she admonished tersely, now flipping through the first book to study the table of contents.

Envy scowled and had a strong urge to snatch the book from her hands and throw it across the room.

Impulse control not being his forte, he proceeded to do just that, the only difference being that instead of throwing the book, he slammed it down on the desk in front of her.

"Damn it, Lust! Stop ignoring me and tell me what you're talking about!"

It has been suggested that a child will prefer negative attention from a parent rather than receive no attention at all.

Bearing out the truth in that statement, Envy was pleased that his unexpected action got the attention he'd been looking for, though the look on his sister's face was absolutely murderous.

Lust regained her poise quickly, of course. After studying him for a few moments with lips tightly pressed together and eyes frigidly cold, she softened and relented, speaking slowly as if to a particularly mule headed student.

"The Philosopher's Stones are created with alchemy," she said. "If we want to return to what we were before, it will require the creation of more Stones, and therefore alchemy as well. Pride has already said that he won't create new Stones and the most logical way to try to force him to do so – by threatening his life – obviously won't work because our lives rely on his Stone too. The bluff would be useless.

"But that doesn't mean that he's the only one who can create a new Stone. Pride is learning alchemy; there's no reason why I can't do the same."

Envy stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You mean… You're going to learn alchemy too?"

Lust nodded.

"_I _was the one who took the formula for creating the Philosopher's Stone to the military researchers. I know what the array looks like; I just need to understand _how _the array works in order to use it. Once I have that, it will only be a matter of finding the right opportunity. There's no point in plotting anything further until we have alchemy at our disposal."

His sister looked confident with her idea, but Envy couldn't help but point out the obvious flaw in her plan.

"But there's no way Pride'll let you learn alchemy if he knows that that's your goal, Lust. He's not an idiot. He _told _us not to even think about it; he'll kill us if he finds out!"

"I told you already, Envy: Pride is dead. Accept it. Our eldest brother has become nothing more than a pathetic mewling human child. There is no way he'll kill us even if he discovers-"

Envy shook his head fiercely in disagreement and didn't let her finish.

"Haven't you been listening to him? He nearly bit my head off the other day over my whole 'pet human' comment. He's still just acting. I'm telling you, if he finds out that we're plotting behind his back-"

"That's just force of habit," Lust opined dismissively. "He's reacting that way because that's how he's always acted with us, not because he's still Pride. You haven't seen it; he's changed. I'm sure of it. He's become compassionate, sincere. He will not have gone through all of this effort and risk only to kill us for disobeying him."

Abandoning the argument as futile, Envy tried a different tactic. "Then what about the Elrics?" he challenged. "So you say that Pride won't kill us, but what about them? Surely Pride would tell them if he found out you were studying alchemy."

Lust seemed to acquiesce on that point. Rather than respond right away, she tapped her fingers on the desktop and frowned in thought. She did not know the Elric brothers well enough to guess at how they would react to such news or what they would do about it and there seemed little point in postulating.

"It doesn't matter," she said finally. "If Pride doesn't know about it, they'll never learn of it either."

"And just how do you plan on learning alchemy without Pride finding out, huh? Aren't you going to need to ask him to teach you?"

Lust rolled her eyes in disgust and gestured pointedly to the books on the table.

"I will learn on my own," she replied with the sarcasm to say that that should have been obvious to him already. "The biggest danger will be in Pride noticing that some of his books are missing. But if I take just one at a time, it's highly unlikely that he'll notice. Even more so since he has no reason to refer to the introductory ones." With that, she reached out to pick up the book Envy had grabbed from her, re-opening it to where she had left off studying the contents to assess its usefulness.

Her brother remained silent, obviously digesting her reasoning.

"… Do you really think it'll work?" he asked after a moment in a quiet voice. "We can get our powers back?"

Lust glanced up. Envy was frowning down at the books on the table. His face betrayed nothing more than belligerent stubbornness, but the note of pleading was clear.

_Do you mean it, Lust? We don't have to be condemned to this? I don't want to be a human! I want to be _me _again! Don't get my hopes up if you're not sure._

Disturbingly, she once again uncharacteristically found herself wanting to assuage her younger brother's fears and her words came out gentler than she intended.

"I can't promise, Envy. I don't know how long it will take to learn enough alchemy that I'll be able to create a Stone. It may take years; I don't know. Perhaps self-study will prove insufficient in any event. And as Pride pointed out, just having a Stone isn't enough; it may not be possible as we exist now to take the Stone back as our core. I could just be wasting my time and risking our lives for no reason. But alchemy is the key to our existence. Nothing can be done until we have that."

Her brother nodded, accepting her words and knowing that she was probably right.

Lust closed the book firmly and stood up.

"This stays between the two of us," she ordered.

"Duh. I know that," Envy replied, rolling his eyes at her. She ignored it.

"This one looks as good a place to begin as any." She hefted the book in her hand and placed it on the table, then picked up two of the other books she had removed from the shelf and moved to put them back before Pride or Ms. Bradley could chance upon them in the act. Envy helped without being asked, then they split up.

Lust to her bedroom to find the best spot to hide the alchemy text so that Pride would never find it.

And Envy, his steps buoyed with unusual optimism, back to the balcony to see if their houseguest was still there.

It hadn't been on their minds to avoid the guest when the man had arrived, but that certainly didn't mean they didn't want to avoid him.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Apologies to my readers_: So quite clearly I was being optimistic when I thought that I'd be able to handle writing and having a full-time job at the same time. I'm sorry that this has taken so long, sorry that it's not very long, and sorry that I don't anticipate speeding up in the near future. This chapter gave me trouble mostly because I wanted to move on to other things, but this chronologically came next and couldn't be skipped. Because my update time has slowed, I'm planning to speed up the story plot-wise by skipping smaller ideas that don't contribute a whole lot. I plan for my next chapter to be very important; this might mean that I write quickly because I'm interested in it, or it might mean that it goes more slowly because I want to get it right. It's really impossible to say at this point.


	24. Memories 1

Number of words: 5,553

Published date: June 8, 2013

Began chapter: May 20, 2013

Finished chapter: June 8, 2013

* * *

**Chapter 24: Memories 1**

_Introduction_

It wasn't until after the events of what came to be known by our historians as 'The Rebellion' that we learned of how some of Greed's siblings were involved in putting down the dissenters, for although Greed insisted at the time that he could sense his brother's Philosopher's Stone even over the vast distance, I had trouble believing that the Homunculi could be mixed up in our country's problems. And it wasn't until after these events transpired that we learned of how much remained unknown about the ancient, ruined city in which they occurred. Admittedly, I have not spoken firsthand with the archaeologists of our new sister country, but certainly our own archaeologists had no idea that the city held such a vast wealth of knowledge, that its history had been protected so zealously by the one who had a direct hand in the incident and who, though ending up protecting my throne, could in no way be mistaken as an ally.

Old friends and new came together to study this history and knowledge, to piece together what all had assumed lost to the forbidding and merciless desert. From my country's wealth I generously contributed to the project. Our bond with Amestris had thus far consisted mainly of militaristic and economic concerns; the alchemy teacher exchange program was only a first step. I wished to support such a combined research effort in order to expose my people to new ideas and modes of thought.

Please do not misunderstand me. I take great pride in my nation's cultural history. Our heritage and traditions form the core of our national pride. What other nations can boast of their ability to trace their lineage through ten generations? Or of their remembrance and respect for their ancestors, upon whose backs our prosperity exists? Our hierarchy, which serves to provide every citizen with a place in the world, from the lowliest servant to the emperor himself, so that none is bereft of purpose? Xing's history stretches back thousands of years into the mists of time and tradition, strengthened by this, gives us an identity and stability that the younger, impetuous countries like Amestris cannot begin to understand.

Nevertheless, it is my conviction that Xing as a country has stagnated.

I didn't realize this until I first traveled to Amestris.

Confronting an entirely different culture and way of life, I saw for the first time that my people, while blessed with wisdom and patience and a closeness with nature, also loathed change and avoided action. Tradition lent stability, but it also made us lazy. It is very easy to say that we do a certain thing because that is what has always been done, rather than admitting that we simply do not want to exert the effort required to change it.

As Emperor, I have a responsibility to do what is best for my people even when they do not like or want it. In Xing's history, I am rather unique, being one of only five emperors in the past thousand years to have set foot on foreign soil and being the only one to have lived among foreign commoners. Alphonse Elric once said that he thought my greatest challenge would be in taking the throne at such a young age, but in fact, there have been several emperors the same age as I was or younger when I took the throne. So it has not been my age, but my broadened perspective, that excites comments among the people.

My desire for change – in my relations with Amestris, in my greater accessibility to those of the lower classes and foreigners, in the protection extended to the Chang clan – labelled me by many as a revolutionary, or even a radical. I do not regret these changes, but in a way they also hold me responsible for The Rebellion. Those who acted to remove me from the throne did so out of fear that I would destroy tradition, tearing them from their positions of power and uprooting everything they knew.

Meanwhile, my Amestrian acquaintances can only shake their heads in consternation that the small changes I made could excite such terrible fears and reactions.

But I digress. This missive's purpose is to provide insight into the ancient civilization that was the birthplace of alchemy, not to reminisce about my own past feelings or regrets.

Before moving on, though, I should mention that although I paint my reasons as altruistic – supporting the research partnership to broaden my people's worldview – I also had personal motives. My friend was mostly uninvolved in the incident, but the effect on his family did not leave him unaffected and I wanted to do whatever I could to help them find the answer to _Why_.

Why did it happen?

What had been her motivation?

What had she been trying to accomplish?

Finding the answers took years of toil: by the researchers, some eager to learn for knowledge's sake and others only in it for the money; by the surviving Ishvalans versed in their ancient tongue and so the ones most proficient in translating the discovered texts; by the unassuming and yet incredibly talented records officer from Central City, who meticulously read and transcribed the volumes from memory so that exposure to air and light would not mean losing their contents; and of course by Pride himself, the oldest of the Homunculi and the one most knowledgeable about their origins. He claims to not know anything of their father's existence before his own birth and yet he had an intuitive understanding of what was uncovered, suggesting the meaning behind cultural phrases, rituals, and philosophies with confident insight that even he could not explain.

The journals hold the greatest wealth of information and without them we could not have answered those questions, but without knowledge of the writer's society, they are in places difficult to understand. For that reason, I wish to give the reader a short introduction to the society's structure and in particular the royal court, for it is within the royal court that much of the story occurs…

…

At first glance, Xerxes was not all that different from Xing. The Xerxians had a king instead of an emperor, but the difference in terms is only semantic; compared to my own sphere of power, the Xerxian king was my equal. His kingdom was smaller, but he had near unlimited power, with all citizens from the highest advisor to the lowest slave obliged to do his will. The king's position was hereditary (rather than democratic) but, unlike in Xing, it was reserved exclusively for males. It was impossible for a woman to become queen.

The ruler of Xerxes was worshipped as a divinely appointed being, much as the emperors of Xing were worshipped in my country's past, but it is difficult to establish exactly what the Xerxians believed in terms of a god. What we can piece together is mostly speculation, for if the Xerxians had a religious canon, their historical guardian did not see fit to protect that particular piece of knowledge.

It appears that the Xerxians held particular esteem for the sun, which is not surprising considering the sun's prominence in their lives. They believed that the sun had specially marked them and that their golden eyes and hair were proof of its blessing. They had some belief in fate and the heavens, but their philosophy mainly focused on this life rather than a world after death or a god (like the Ishvalans' religion). Their overarching beliefs revolved around the principles expounded in alchemy: that all life is connected and that things only exist as part of a whole. This extended into a belief that all good and bad acts eventually return to the one who commits them; an individual cannot live disconnected from everything else. There is some suggestion that they believed in reincarnation, but if so, they took it as a given and didn't feel the need to affirm it in their writings.

The Xerxians were also a proud people. Their country was isolated by the desert. They both distrusted and disdained outsiders. They believed that their advanced technologies – alchemy, architecture, agriculture, cloth dying, metallurgy, and well-digging – proved their superiority in allowing them to live and thrive in the inhospitable desert. Their society did not have as many divisions in hierarchy as in Xing, but the gaps were wider. There was the king, those in the royal court who served the king, the commoners, and slaves. With a few exceptions, people were equal to those in their respective groups, but interactions between groups was a delicate balance of deference by the weaker and condescension by the stronger.

The king was served and advised by two distinct groups: the alchemists and the seers. The alchemists were the scholars and philosophers of the Xerxian kingdom, while the seers were the mystics and soothsayers to the king.

The seers were made up only of women and they held their positions from birth, believing that their powers were hereditary and were passed down from mother to daughter. The alchemists, on the other hand, were all male and were picked from every level of society by the masters, who took promising students as apprentices. A seer was born, while an alchemist was made.

Although the two groups provided different services to their king and kingdom, it seems they held a bitter rivalry, which only grew in the years leading up to Xerxes' destruction. Both sides vied for the king's favour and often took opposite sides on an issue. The seers used their powers to predict future events and advise of appropriate actions to best benefit the kingdom. The alchemists used their powers for practical action, helping the people and liaising with village heads and governors to guard the throne's power.

It is hard to understand why these two groups did not get along, for their powers seem complimentary and they could have done much greater good working together. Instead, their differing philosophies only led to derision and competition. The alchemists accused the seers of being slavish fatalists and followers of a faith that was more superstition than science. The seers accused the alchemists of being spiritually dead and denying fate's hold on them. Both groups jealously guarded their domains.

…

This, then, was the world of Xerxes' last survivor: the political intrigue and rivalry of the royal court combined with a fatalistic belief in the powerlessness of the individual while at the same time commanding enormous power in her own right.

Despite what we've uncovered, there is still much we don't know about Dante. We have her history written in her own words, but there are gaps and missing explanations which we will never be able to fill in with one hundred percent certainty. Dante's early years describe events in a general sense but lack detail, and her later years suggest the slow onset of madness and obsession. I have my own hypotheses and interpretations. I know that Edward and Alphonse Elric have their own take, and I imagine the Homunculi too see things in a different way.

The following, then, is an edited translation of Dante's story. I leave it to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

Lord of the Imperial Throne

Guardian of the Xingese Dynasty

His Royal Highness

_Emperor Ling Yao_

* * *

_The Fourth Day of Venus in the Month of the Lion in the Fifteenth Year of his Majesty's Reign_

_[Friday, July 30, 1475 – approximate Amestrian reckoning]_

I am very excited. Today is important because I am being allowed to go with Mother to a royal cort meeting for the first time. It is because I became six years old today. Today is my birthday.

Mother would scold me for thinking that this day is speshal. According to the stars, this day is the same as any other day. I am too small for the stars to care about my life.

It hurts when Mother says this. Why don't the stars care about me? I care about them. I am the daughter of the great Seer Vashti. That makes me important too. After all, Mother knows everything. The stars tell her everything. She is never wrong when she sees the future. She is so blest by the Sun that her hair is pure white. I love Mother's hair. She is very beautiful. My hair is light, but not white like Mother's hair. I wish my hair was white like her's.

I am eksited about the meeting, but I am also scared. I have never met His Majesty before. What if I displease him? Only the seers and alchemists may see His Majesty's face. One day I too will be a seer like Mother, but I am not a seer yet. But Mother says one day I will be and she is always right, so I will try to not be afraid and to study hard.

There is a lot to study. It is confusing sometimes. Mother becomes angry when I do not understand things right away.

The stars tell truths about big things, things that will happen to many people, not just one person, so they are hardest to read. There are many stars and planets and signs. Every sign and planet has a speshal meaning and the meanings can be affected by other signs and planets. It is complicated. Mother says one day I will know all these meanings by hart, but it seems impossible. There are so many! I don't think I can ever know them all.

For one person, there are tarot cards and palm reading. Its big name is chiromancy. Mother says that a person's fate is writtin on their hands like a book and that one day I will be able to read the lines too. I don't like this method very much. It is hard to learn from books and there are few people for me to practis with. I am not allowed to leave the temple and the other seers are always busy. I like the tarot cards more. They have pretty pictures and I like looking at them. But I'm not allowed to play with them. Mother says the cards must be treated with respect. They won't tell the true future if the reader treats them like toys.

Mother has also started teaching me oneiromancy. (I checked my book to spell it right!) That means how to interpret dreams. She says that dream meanings come through exsperience, not study. Not every dream has a meaning. A true seer must be able to tell which dreams are important and which are not. I must practis to remember my dreams.

Mother tells me some of her past dreams and what they mean. She once told a dream of His Majesty that saved our country. His Majesty dreamed that five fat cows were eaten by five skinny cows. Mother advised that there would be five years of good crops followed by five years of famine. Because of her advise, His Majesty was able to plan ahead and save our people from starving.

One day I want to be a wise seer just like Mother. I will give advise to His Majesty so that Xerxes will always prosper.

* * *

_The Second Day of the Sun in the Month of the Snake in the Twentieth Year of his Majesty's Reign_

_[Sunday, March 12, 1481]_

Clearly I still have much to learn. I saw no signs in my morning reading that I would take advantage of Mother's rare summoning for a private audience with His Majesty. Perhaps Saturn, the planet of challenge, saw fit in the Sign of Scales to influence me through rebelliousness. I have never thought to disobey Mother before, so something in the stars must have demanded I act otherwise. Such is Heaven's will and only fools deny it.

I should have continued my studies alone. Instead, having unexpected time to myself, I was struck with the strangest urge. Those of the royal court who serve His Majesty (we seers and alchemists) are of course allowed to leave the palace as we choose, but I am not yet deemed a seer and Mother has forbidden me to leave the temple. It is unfitting for those of higher station to mingle with the commoners. Even more so those of us who are readers of fate. Mother warns that the things of worldly life are not our concern and that our presence would only make the ordinary people nervous. We would be like gods in their eyes. It is cruel to be among them because we remind them of how weak they are.

I know that what Mother says must be true, but even so, I have wanted to see our great city ever since I can remember. And not just through the temple doors. I have not even walked the palace grounds before! Even the slaves are allowed more freedom than me! They can enter and leave the temple as they please while I cannot. It is not fair, but Mother refuses to listen to me!

All I want is to see a little more of the world around me. Surely just stepping outside the temple for a short bit will not hurt anyone. Mother cannot see me anyway; she can barely see anything now. And no one would dare tell her, so there is nothing to worry about.

It was scary to take the first step through the temple doors, but because I did not want to be seen, there was not much time to think. Before I knew it, I was in the palace grounds.

It was hotter than in the temple. Most of the temple is underground and dark. The Sun affects our lives, but I did not know it was so hot too. I didn't really like it. The heat made me feel ill. And it was dusty.

Outside was also noisier. Mother does not allow me to speak unless she wants me to answer a question. The temple is very quiet, but outside, people and animals make a lot of noise. There were some horses tied to a water trough and whinnying. Several people were squatting on the ground, holding sticks and writing in the sand. One of them, a man a few years older than me, was teaching. Even from across the grounds, I could hear him. There were both men and women in the group but they stood side by side together as if it didn't matter. The listeners would stop the man who was teaching to ask questions and he let them speak and didn't seem to care that they'd stopped him. It was not at all the same as how Mother teaches. If I interrupt her with a question, I am sure to be punished.

Then a man came past me who I recognized by his robes. He was one of His Majesty's alchemists. His name is Paracelsus. I have seen him in court meetings. I don't like him. His eyebrows are big and his head is bald and he always looks angry. I have also heard him speak disrespectfully to Mother. I did not want him to see me, so I ducked down behind a cart to hide. He walked past without seeing me. When he was gone, I looked back at the group across the grounds, but many of them had left. Perhaps they also do not like the alchemist? The man who had been teaching was still there, though, and I think he saw me hide because, when he looked at me, he smiled and gave a small wave as if to say the man was gone.

I didn't go over to him, though I think that's what he wanted. By then, I was worried about being gone too long, so I went back to the temple. I returned to my room and my studies, but Mother was still with His Majesty. When she returned, she made no mention of my outing. It is the first time I have seen proof that Mother does not know everything.

* * *

_The Third Day of Saturn in the Month of the Snake in the Twentieth Year of his Majesty's Reign_

_[Saturday, March 25, 1481]_

I snuck out of the temple again yesterday. Mother has been distracted by something and so has not had time for my lessons. I do not know what is bothering her and I do not care so long as I get the chance to explore the palace without her knowing. I have wanted to ask if Saturn in the Scales could stir up rebelliousness, but then I am worried that she may question where I got this idea…

Most of the people I see in the palace ignore me. I thought that was strange until I realized that they do not know who I am, having never seen me before. I like it that way. I don't have to worry about being recognized and getting into trouble. I ignore them too.

I found a stairway in one of the buildings that went up several flights. At the top was a window overlooking the city. I know that the city is large and magnificent, but I was still overwhelmed by the view. Surely Xerxes must be the greatest kingdom in the world! Our buildings are beautiful and grand. I have heard stories about other peoples who live in homes made of leaves or animals skins. Imagine! Compared to us, they are barbarians.

I was startled when a man spoke behind me. It was the same man who had been teaching the group of people in the courtyard the first time I left the temple.

He recognized me and asked what I was doing there. At first I was nervous because I have never spoken to someone so close to my age before. And a man! Only women are allowed in the temple; even male slaves are not allowed inside, for they would desecrate the sanctum, and so I have had no occasion to speak to them.

I had not noticed the other day that he was dressed poorly. His clothes were barely rags. He wore no sandals and he held a broom in his hand. He was a slave! How could I have missed it before?

And imagine this: a slave talking to me, Dante, the daughter of the great Seer Vashti, one day to be His Majesty's most trusted and honoured advisor, as if we were equals! It was so preposterous that I couldn't think of how to answer.

Unaware of his lowly position, the man kept talking, warning that I had wandered into His Majesty's alchemists' quarters and that, judging by my reaction the other day, if I didn't want "the Master" to see me, I had better leave.

When I told him who I was, he didn't even believe me! The daughter of the all-seeing Seer? He said he had lived in the palace his whole life and had never seen me before. He accused me of being an unruly child who had snuck away from her parents and found herself in a place she didn't belong! When I grew angry, he said he was just trying to help me out, as if he was giving me advice for which I should be grateful. I was so angry that I threatened to go to his master and inform him of his slave's audacious behaviour to a member of the royal court. I told him that if he was lucky they would just cut out his tongue; a slave does not need to be able to speak to do his work, after all.

Unfortunately, he was unimpressed by the threat. He pointed out that even if I was who I said I was, I still was not allowed in the alchemists' quarters. (Which is true, I hate to admit.) He also said that he knew the look of someone guilty of doing something they're not supposed to do and that he was willing to bet I wouldn't go to his master because then I would get in trouble too.

Shrewd man. I thought all slaves were stupid simpletons. Perhaps this one is an exception.

I decided that it would be best to convince him that I was telling the truth, so I told him to give me his hand. My first reading. I spoke confidently, not wanting him to know that I am still an apprentice.

His head and heart lines were average and indicated that he would have a family later in his life. I hesitated over this interpretation, for I do not know if slaves are permitted to have families, but I suppose new slaves must come from somewhere and he looked pleased to hear it. His life line also confused me, for it was unlike any of the examples in Mother's books. In the middle of his line, there was a jagged split, then it continued thick and strong until abruptly cutting off at his wrist. Normally the line does not cut off so suddenly. Maybe he will die in an accident? But its length suggests he will live to be very old, and yet he will remain healthy until his death. I am curious to see what this means, but of course such will not be revealed until far into the future.

When I finished, he said he still couldn't be sure of my identity because I could just be making things up. The ignorant gall! I seriously considered going to his master regardless of the trouble I would be in too! My anger must have shown on my face – of which I am ashamed; Mother cautions that a seer's face should betray none of her thoughts or emotions – but apparently he finally came to his senses and began to speak respectfully. He assured me that he believed me. He asked if there were any other things I could tell him about his future. I told him that if I knew his birth date, there was much I would be able to tell him, but he replied that he did not know when he was born. We were both disappointed. It would have been nice to have someone to practice my readings with.

Wanting to address him, without thinking I asked his name, forgetting that slaves do not have names. Not unless their masters decide to give them one, which I doubt Paracelsus would bother to do. He looks too intimidating to care about his slaves. So I corrected myself, changing name to number.

But instead of looking embarrassed, he hesitated. He glanced around, checking that the hallway was empty. He looked at me as if debating with himself. Then he asked if I would keep a secret for him if he kept my being there a secret.

I did not want to bargain, but it seemed fair and I was curious to find out what he would say. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone.

He told me that his number was 23, but that he also had a name: Van Hohenheim.

I wanted to ask how he had gotten the name, but there was no chance. We heard someone's footsteps coming down the hall and Van quickly pushed me towards the stairs then began to sweep the floor so that he seemed hard at work. When I hesitated, he hissed at me to leave before I was spotted and we both got into trouble.

Van Hohenheim… A slave with a name. One who spoke to me as an equal. And he was teaching the other slaves. I did not realize that slaves knew how to read. It is a shame that he cannot come into the temple, because then we might have another chance to talk. He seems like an interesting person.

Well, if I get another chance to leave the temple, surely I will be able to talk to him again. My intuition is not at Mother's level yet, but I just feel certain that he will be important to me.

* * *

_The First Day of Mercury in the Month of the Bull in the Twentieth Year of his Majesty's Reign_

_[Wednesday, May 4, 1481]_

I have not been able to sneak away from the temple again, though I have been watching for an opportunity. I think Mother has realized that I may have disobeyed her. After I described Van's life line and asked what it might mean, Mother questioned where I had seen such a line. I said that it was just something I had thought of, but I don't think she believed me. Mother also became quite angry when I asked some questions about the slaves. She says that slaves are forbidden from having families. I wanted to ask what it meant if I was wrong about Van's lines, but of course I could not…

* * *

_The First Day of Jupiter in the Month of the Beetle in the Twenty-First Year of his Majesty's Reign_

_[Thursday, July 7, 1481]_

Mother has been teaching me about Xerxes' history and social structure. She says that I am at the point in my studies where I am ready to progress beyond just learning to predict the future, that I must learn to appreciate the grander scheme of the Heavens.

The laws of the universe show that everyone is ruled by fate. Everything that happens is caused to happen by something else. There is no way for someone to be unaffected by events around them. Our personality and desires are dictated at birth by the Heavens and we cannot choose the circumstances and setting of our life. So to say that we have control over our lives is a fool's belief. What happens is what has been meant to happen from the beginning of time. Our lives are set up from the moment of our birth.

The alchemists claim to understand this truth and yet they deceive themselves. They feel free to alter things and think they have control over their world. They don't know that they are destined to alter what they alter and they are destined to believe they control their world even though they do not.

This is obviously the truth, so Mother says the most important thing is that we accept fate. We are fated in our actions and thoughts and desires, so we should act as we wish but must always remember that there is only one possible path for our life to follow. The unwise think there are infinite possibilities in life.

These lessons make me think of Van and the other slaves.

Slaves are born into their positions. It is their fate to be what they are and most accept it without protest. They live properly, obeying the Heavens.

Mother and the others in the temple do not pay any attention to the slaves. They are property, not people, and so should be treated with no more concern than animals or objects. They do not read, they do not have names, and they should not imagine or desire that their lives be any different. This is the proper way of the universe, to accept our place in it.

I don't want to think of Van as a fool. He is the first person I have talked to as a peer and though he gains nothing by it and has no reason to help me, I know he will not betray my confidence.

Even so, he struggles where it is not his place. He refuses to tell me how he obtained his name, though he swears he did not choose it himself. He also refuses to tell me who taught him to read and write. Clearly he is protecting the culprit, so he realizes that they both should be punished. He has betrayed the social order and that is both foolish and dangerous. Maybe it seems like a small thing, but if slaves start thinking for themselves, who knows what trouble it could cause? For their own safety, slaves should not know how to read, for if they can, their masters would lose trust in them and might suspect the slaves of revealing their private work to others. For that the slave would be killed. And if a slave starts to seek knowledge, he can only find punishment for letting his work go undone. So it is much better that he remains ignorant.

I have faith that Mother would know if Van's oddities will cause trouble in the future – if not for him personally, then for the kingdom. My own readings reveal nothing noteworthy. Perhaps nothing will come of it…

* * *

_The Fourth Day of Saturn in the Month of the Lion in the Twenty-First Year of his Majesty's Reign_

_[Saturday, July 30, 1481]_

Today, I have now lived through twelve complete years, the same number of signs in the zodiac, and Mother has granted permission for me to leave the temple. I am now allowed to speak in front of His Majesty at meetings of the court, and even to speak to His Majesty directly if addressed first.

I do not need to do a reading to know that it will be much longer before I work up the courage to do so, however…

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So here are the first hints of the real plot I've been promising. My hope is that you feel a little bit confused about how this is related to the rest of the story but that you can generally follow it. It will be hard to make judgments on the technique, presentation, or overall idea until later on.

_Dante_: For those readers not familiar with the 2003 series of FMA, this note is to assure you that I'm not just making up a new character for the purpose of this story. Dante was the antagonist in the 2003 series (as opposed to Father/Dwarf in the Flask). However, her history in the first series (as well as Hohenheim's) was vastly different from what I am presenting here and could never have fit into Brotherhood's canon. It isn't necessary, but I recommend eventually looking her up on the FMA wiki so that you can appreciate some of the parallels I'll be using to bring her from the 2003 series into Brotherhood.

_Vashti_: According to the FMA wiki and supported by Wikipedia, Xerxes was named after a Persian king and Amestris was named after his wife. Biblical scholars have identified Xerxes and Amestris with characters from the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. Xerxes is identified with the biblical Ahasuerus and Amestris has been identified with Queen Vashti (who refused to obey the King's command to display her beauty to his guests and so was banished from his presence, eventually being replaced as queen by the Jewish heroine Esther).

_Paracelsus_: Van Hohenheim is named after a German-Swiss alchemist, Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, who was also known as Paracelsus. Paracelsus claimed to have created a Homunculus, so I have chosen to give this name to Slave 23's master and later mentor, who either created the Dwarf in the Flask himself or was one of a group who did so and in canon remained unnamed.

_Astrology_: I will be modifying some of the astrological signs to better match the Xerxians for, as a desert people, they probably wouldn't be familiar with signs like Pisces the Fish or Cancer the Crab. I have replaced Pisces with "the Snake", since Pisces is typically represented as two fish joined by a string and the snake's shape could come from the string. Cancer is represented by "the Beetle", which is similar in shape but much more common in the desert. I hope that bringing astrology into the FMA world won't be seen as cheating or lame. If alchemy can be a viable science, I see no reason why other pseudosciences in our world cannot be real in the FMA world.

_The ten cows_: I took this dream from the biblical book of Genesis, chapter 41, in which Joseph interprets the Egyptian Pharaoh's dream of seven fat cows being eaten by seven skinny cows and of seven heads of good grain being eaten by seven heads of bad grain as predicting seven years of plenty for Egypt followed by seven years of extreme famine.

_Spelling errors_: I trust everyone can tell that I added spelling errors to the first entry intentionally to simulate a six-year old's writing. (Hopefully the writing isn't too much above a really smart six-year old's level; I don't know any six-year olds to check…)


End file.
